


Master and Lunatic

by shadowglove88



Series: Master And... Series [7]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Adorkable, Age Difference, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Age Changes, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Culturally Encouraged Sexual Deviance, Alternate Universe - Daemons, Alternate Universe - Dark, Alternate Universe - Demons, Alternate Universe - Porn, Alternate Universe - Post-War, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Succubi & Incubi, Anal Fingering, Anal Knotting, Anal Play, Anal Sex, Anal Train Position, Beast Mode Sex, Bed Sex, Bedroom Sex, Big Cock Small Hole, Biting, Blushing, Body Exploration, Body Worship, Bottom Arthur, Bottom Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Bottom Kay, Bottom Mordred, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Boys in Chains, Breeding, Breeding Kink, Chains, Claiming, Claiming Bites, Cock Slut, Cock Tease, Come Inflation, Coming While Penetrated, Consensual Infidelity, Consensual Non-Consent, Continuous Arousal, Cuckolding, Cunnilingus, Dark, Dark Arthur, Dark Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Dark Magic, Dark Merlin, Death Threats, Demon/Human Relationships, Demons, Desire for Mpreg, Desperate For Cock, Desperate To Be Fucked, Dick-tummy, Dom/sub Undertones, Double Anal Penetration, Double Penetration, Double Penetration in One Hole, Double Penetration in Two Holes, Dragon mate, Dragon sex, Dragon/human sex, Dry Orgasm, Dubious Ethics, Dubious Morality, Elevensome, Established Relationship, Everyone Is Gay, Explicit Sexual Content, Extremely Dubious Consent, F/F, F/M, False Identity, Feelings Realization, Feminization, Finger Sucking, First Time Bottoming, Foot Fetish, Forceful Sex, Foursome - M/M/M/M, Fuckmeat, Gangbang, Gay, Gay Breeding, Gay Knotting, Gay Male Character, Gay Sex, Group Sex, Hand & Finger Kink, Hand Jobs, Het Sex, Identity Issues, Implied Mpreg, Impregnation Kink, Inhuman Cock, Interspecies Breeding, Interspecies Sex, Jealousy, Kinky, Knotting, Lap Sex, Large Cock, Lesbian Sex, M/M, Magic Cock, Magic Made Them Do It, Magic/Man, Magical Futanari, Marathon Sex, Master/Pet, Mates, Mating, Mating Bites, Mating Bond, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mating Moon, Mating Rituals, May/December Relationship, Mental Link, Mind Meld, Minor Character Death, Moresomes, Mpreg, Multi, Multiple Orgasms, Multiple Pairings, Multiple Partners, Multiple Penetration, Multiple Sex Positions, Murder, Non-Human Genitalia, Obsession, Obsessive Behavior, Older Man/Younger Man, Older Merlin, Oral Sex, Orgasm Delay, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Orgy, Overstimulation, Ownership, POV Multiple, Penis Size, Perversion, Pheromones, Porn with Feelings, Possessive Behavior, Possessive Sex, Pregnant Sex, Prostate Massage, Prostate Orgasm, Provocation, Pseudo-Incest, Public Sex, Revenge, Rimming, Ritual Public Sex, Ritual Sex, Rituals, Role Reversal, Romantic Soulmates, Rough Sex, Rutting, Scratching, Self-Denial, Semi-Public Sex, Sex, Sex Addiction, Sex Magic, Sex Pollen, Sex Positions, Sexual Dominance, Sexual Domination, Sexual Submission, Sexual Teasing, Sexual Tension, Sexual desperation, Simultaneous Orgasm, Size Difference, Size Kink, Soulmates, Spit As Lube, Spitroasting, Succubi & Incubi, Teasing, Telepathy, Tender Sex, Threats of Violence, Threesome - M/M/M, Top Merlin, Top Percy, Trifecta Position, True Form Sex, True Mates, Twisted, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings, Underwater Sex, Unrealistic Sex, Unsafe Sex, Versatile Bors, Versatile Cassius, Versatile Lancelot, Voyeurism, Watching, Water Sex, Younger Arthur, belly bulge, cock whore, cumflation, fucked to death, inhuman anatomy, sexual denial
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-09-28 02:45:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 56,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17174387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowglove88/pseuds/shadowglove88
Summary: With the war over and answers finally given to some pressing questions, it is time for the new kingdom to go through some new interesting 'firsts'.Not only will the kingdom itself ride out the Dark Week, but Arthur will start his heat cycle, and Merlin's dragon will finally come out to play.By the time Dark Week is over *nothing* will ever be the same.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season :)

While there was nothing that Merlin wanted more than to go to their room and be with his mate, there were things that he needed to do. He could feel his magic working, this was the first time he could actually _tell_ that it was doing something without his say-so, and he wondered whether that was because of just how much he’d been using it. It didn’t matter though, if his magic was doing something independently of his own desires it was clearly doing so for Arthur, and that meant that Merlin would handle the drain. Whatever it was, though, it wasn’t a small matter, he could _feel_ the strain, but he tried to push it to the back of his mind and try not to worry about it. There were more important things which took precedence.

It had been hard to say goodbye to Gwaine, who would not be able to just ride over for a visit as he usually would, but they both had kingdoms to run, and should Gwaine truly need help he had the magicked scroll Merlin had given him, which would send Merlin messages through the magical barrier between New Mercia and the rest of Albion. Should Gwaine truly need his help, Merlin and New Mercia would be there for him.

Once Gwaine and his men made their way to Caerleon, Merlin had known it was the time to act. If he was going to do this, it would have to be now. His dragon was awaking, but it had been starved for far too long, and Merlin knew that he needed to feed it, truly feed it, if this was to work. At least Daobeth had returned him to his normal form, and yet it was clear that he was still shifting deep within, readying, for his dragon to emerge. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. His dragon and demon should have melded, should have become one (like Bayard had said had happened to his father) and yet their separation had created two distinct magical traits, characters, hungers, inside of him, and one of those was starving.

A part of Merlin, the human part of him, begged him not to do this, to be the bigger, better man, to hold out. But Merlin had listened to that side of him once, and Freya had paid dearly for it. He was not going to do anything that could put Arthur in danger. And that was not all. He knew thatthe rest of Albion would only behave for a little while until the kings of the remaining kingdoms grew overconfident, grew forgetful. They’d try and breach New Mercia, they’d cause problems. That was why, before New Mercia closed itself the way Daobeth had (even if only until the kingdom coalesced naturally and both Daobeth and Avalon could be rejuvenated) Merlin needed to leave a reminder, a warning, for the human kings of Albion.

He blinked himself away, and when he opened his eyes he found himself in the bedroom he shared with Arthur. The cambion glanced around and eyed the room in what he knew to be open admiration. It was quite perfect, all the way down to the very last detail. He turned his back on it though and went to the window, peering out at the Mercian scenery he knew so well and had grown up staring at year after year, watching the seasons slowly change.

Arms went around him from behind, heat encircling him as a body pressed up against him. “I’ve been waiting for you to come to me.”

The cambion sighed as he continued to stare out of the window.

“What’s wrong?”

He turned around and leaned back into the open window, staring down at Arthur, who was dressed in nothing more than a silk robe fastened together at his waist, the front of which gaped over to alluringly reveal his chest and abdomen. Arthur was beautiful, as always, his clothes fitting him perfectly, his expression half guarded and half delirious.

A pout pursed Arthur’s lips as he leaned into Merlin, pressing their lower bodies together and pretending to straighten the front of Merlin’s tunic while staring up at him through his golden eyelashes. “Look who finally has some time for me.” He grinned as he trailed his palms up Merlin’s chest to hook them around his neck. “I was starting to think that just because you are suddenly a king that your kingdom had become more important than me.”

“I couldn’t forget about you even if I wanted to,” Merlin admitted with a heavy sigh as he stared down into Arthur’s face, not quite sure how exactly how to handle this. Considering how things had played out between the two of them he wasn’t exactly sure what was the best way to go about this next part. A part of him did not want to do this, and yet a bigger part of him knew that it had to be done, but that did not mean that he did not regret that it had come to this.

“Well, I’d hope not,” Arthur scoffed with a playful tone. “With the Dark Moon about to rise in the sky any night now... if you forgot all about me I’d be more than a little upset.” He licked his lips, desire not only plainly written on his face, but very thick in the air around him. “Just because a king is tied to his kingdom - some even magically - it does not mean that he does not have _other_ duties to attend to. It’s not _forsaking_ your duty if you spend some time enjoying yourself.”

Hands going to Arthur’s hips, Merlin stared down into his face, it was perfection. “I want you to know that I do not enjoy this.” He then shoved Arthur roughly, violently, back, causing him to topple over onto the bed before following him there.

Arthur’s eyes were wide in surprise as he scrambled up onto his elbows in time for Merlin to pin him down on the bed with his own body. The blonde blinked, shock, surprise, and a little fear wafting up, and yet the scent of arousal thickened, intensifying like fire after having added more logs. His breathing was erratic, and desire glistened in those darkening eyes. “You _seem_ like you’re enjoying it.”

“Is this what you want?” Merlin asked as he knelt over Arthur’s body, his hands and knees pressing into the wolf fur, keeping the boy trapped between him and the mattress. “Is this truly the way you desire this to be?”

Confusion mixed with fear on Arthur’s face despite the smile that twisted his lips. “I’m surprised you have to ask.” His gaze held Merlin’s as he reached between their bodies and slipped his hand into Merlin’s trousers, wrapping his fingers around the cambion’s human member. Surprise fed that confusion visibly as Arthur faltered for a second. “I do not think I have ever known you not to at least be semi-hard.”

Merlin stared down into Arthur’s face, watching the boy seem to take the challenge to heart and begin to stroke him. He allowed himself to be kissed yet noted with interest at just how unaffected he was by it. His cock not only remained limp, but Arthur’s breaths, his groans, his lips, his tongue… Merlin wasn’t affected. If he wanted to feed he could definitely do so, he was a cambion, they could control their own bodies to the degree that they could force erections and such for the sake of feeding when sources were limited.

Magic flashed in Merlin’s eyes, pinning Arthur’s wrists above him in the bed, causing the flush of arousal to darken all over his chest, neck and face. “You’re being so rough today, Merlin.” The blonde tried to twist but the magic had his wrists pinned down mercilessly, so he merely grinned as he parted his thighs. “How rough do you plan on being with me?”

“ _Incredibly_ ,” Merlin whispered truthfully as he surged down and kissed him. He had not been lying about how rough he would be, because his kiss had teeth and pain, and yet when the blonde beneath him tensed Merlin’s hand found its way beneath that skirt, his magic working to relax muscles, to add lubrication, so that when he shoved his fingers inside it met no resistance. The cambion could feel the body under him both shuddering in pleasure and relaxing as Arthur reached up with one hand to grip at his shoulders while he kissed Merlin just as viciously, only for his other hand to reached down to cover Merlin’s and urge those fingers deeper, rougher, within him.

Opening his eyes, Merlin glanced down to see Arthur’s eyes closed and his face twisted in pleasure which matched the growing scent of arousal in the air. His demon was unhappy and ecstatic at the same time, lending Merlin his power and drowning Arthur in oversensitivity that had the boy sobbing into Merlin’s lips, his body twitching as Merlin drew on his demonic magic to wreck havoc on his body. It was due to this that the blonde did not realize that Merlin’s demonic magic was not the only one at play.

The room’s floor was not visible, darkness seeping outwards and covering every inch of it, not only seeping out under the door but climbing up the walls and pouring out the sides of the windows.

Merlin’s magic sealed the sounds in the room so that nothing of the outside could be heard, so that no distraction could interfere. He could already feel it working, feel the darkness racing through the castle with the ferocity and speed of a tsunami, until the castle was completely encompassed in the black shroud which continued to grow outwards, digging its hooks deep within the ground.

When Arthur’s hands shifted to urge Merlin’s hips downwards, the cambion slipped his fingers free seconds before his magic formed a phallus and plunged inside of the body beneath his. Merlin used both hands to kiss the blonde, to completely overwhelm him as his magic fuckedbrutally into the body beneath him while sucking on that cluster of nerves. Arthur was screaming and sobbing under him, nails digging into his arms and his back.

The dragon roared deep within, like the demon it was both displeased yet elated. The shell it had been trapped within for so long was very close to disintegrating completely, and as it continued to feed it grew closer and closer to freedom. It roared and snarled and scratched and purred. For the first time it was purposely being fed by Merlin, and the amount of food it was consuming was filling it with dizzying relief. Hunger that had weakened it to near non-existence was finally being satiated, and it grew gluttonous, desiring more.

For the first time ever (at least that Merlin was aware of) the demon heartily cheered on the dragon, encouraging it, bolstering it, pushing it to continue consuming, reminding it that their goal was a commonly shared one. The demon fed and urged the dragon to do the same, both magics and parts of Merlin complete opposites, forces he’d expected to fight _against_ each other, not _with_ each other, and he wasn’t sure why he knew Arthur was the reason for their unity, but he felt very secure in that feeling.

Arthur came under Merlin, and the demon fed harder, inducing pleasure so disorienting that Arthur was drooling. The magic working on him targeted zones that induced more pleasure so the demon could feed quicker, feed harder, feed more completely.

“Stroke me, Merlin!” Arthur begged sobbingly. “I need your hand on my cock!” Magic coated that cock and started to suck on it, causing Arthur to scream and cum again, thick jets of milky whiteness shooting out which was consumed by the magic, which started to slip into his cock through his slit to feed more easily from the source.”More! Merlin! Make me cum! I want to cum more! Do it, Merlin! Make me cum!”

Oh, that was the plan.

Merlin’s demon rejoiced at Merlin’s lack of interest in reigning it in and went to war, using all the tricks Merlin never allowed it to play on that body. It milked endless gushes of seed from that cock while simultaneously gnawing on that cluster of nerves so viciously Arthur was clearly in agony but still too pleasured for his addled mind to differentiate whether it was truly feeling pleasure or pain. The scent of his arousal was thick in the air, was nearly physical. His heart rate was spiking, his breathing erratic, his pulse racing.

Darkness continued to blanket the land, digging in deep.

The dragon roared.

The demon howled.

The blonde twitched uncontrollably while screaming so long and so hard that his throat must be sore.

The cambion watched the body beneath him lose all rationality, and that was when he pulled away, allowing his demon full access to do to the body whatever it wished to. Immediately he heard the boy’s screams grow more desperate, more pleasured, and yet they were also starting to weaken.

Turning his back on the bed, Merlin returned to the window and stared out at the view which had drastically changed since the last time he’d looked out of the window. A blanket of darkness covered not only the land but everything below, hiding everything and everyone from view. It was almost as if he were so high up he was above the clouds, which were all pitch black from a horrifying storm raining down on those below, and in many ways he was - it was.

He forced himself to watch, to acknowledge what he was doing, and what he had become, to see his choice through to the end and not turn a blind eye. This was truly the day in which he became the monster that he’d always known himself to be, and it bothered him somewhat that other than a slight pang of regret that it had had to come to this, that he did not feel shame or regret for the act itself.

Behind him Arthur’s voice started to grow weaker and weaker. It was still pleasured, still begging for more, the blonde clearly too out of it to even realize that Merlin wasn’t even on the bed with him anymore. He begged for Merlin to make him climax, and the demon very strategically gave him what he pleaded for all the while still playing and torturing that body so that as soon as the last spasms were over yet another climax was building and the blonde would beg for it yet again. Over and over again. Over and over again. Over and over again.

Pieces of magical shell were starting to crumble and be consumed as well, only aiding in the dragon’s feeding.

And then he heard it. It was a sound he hated. A sound that still made him have nightmares. It was that unintelligible, inhuman sound.

Steeling himself, Merlin turned around to see empty black eyes.

Thankfully, the room was no longer his, and the face those black eyes resided on was no longer Arthur’s.

“I would have helped you, I would have done everything in my power to do so,” Merlin swore to him truthfully, yet even to himself his voice was emotionless. “But you not only betrayed me, and my kingdom, but your actions killed innocents, and most grievously of all, you tried to turn my mate and I against each other.” He moved back towards the bed, where that body was lying weakly on its back, those eyes trained on him. The one within was no more, his mind and spirit absolutely consumed, leaving behind a hollow shell which was still being fucked by that magic, keeping it weak (instead of the strength Julius had displayed in this form) since it was continuously being fed from even in this state, robbing it slowly of its last ounces of life. “I could have forgiven you for everything else, could have excused your behavior as desperation and a desire to protect your people, but I cannot and _will not_ forgive what you did to Arthur.” He gripped silky black hair and pulled that head backwards so he could stare into those soulless black eyes. “I do not even truly _understand_ the length of what you did to him, showed him, tortured him with, but every time I learnt of something new it just fortified my resolve that you have to die, Simon.”

He wondered whether some part of Simon could understand him. The only other person who he’d ever done this to had been Julius, and just like with him, Simon would not be living long enough for him to try and figure out exactly what happened once the demon fed off of you so completely.

“It is just a shame that your kingdom had to fall, had to pay the price along with you, for your betrayal of Mercia, of the people you called your allies,” Merlin murmured nonetheless, hoping a part of Simon did understand what he was telling him. He projected this message through the darkness as well. “While my demon kept you overwhelmed and fed on your pleasure, King Simon, my dragon fed on your kingdom. Not the people, not their lives at least, there are innocents in your borders. But the magic that made up your kingdom, which ran through your ley lines, which flowed through your people’s amulets and wellsprings and blood - every trace of it is being consumed until there will be none left. Your people will be a kingdom without magic and without a king. Once it is discovered how weak they are they _will_ be invaded, will be taken, by another kingdom. And just like that, in the blinking of an eye, not only will Northumbria be no more, but your father’s lineage will die, and Enchanters will become extinct.” He tightened his grip on Simon’s hair and leaned in closer, seeing his own reflection in those eyes. “Let your death, and the fall of your kingdom, serve as a warning to anyone else who lives in Albion.” He spoke to Simon, yet knew his voice was being projected through the darkness to all. “I am Merlin Emrys Dragonlord, mate of Arthur Pendragon, and king. I defeated Tauren Osgar who would have enslaved Albion, but I will raze it to the ground myself if you _dare_ come against my kingdom.”

He could feel Death in the room, and unlike when it had once come for Arthur, he let go of Simon and moved aside, allowing his demon to take that last bit from Simon so that Death could claim him. Merlin returned to the window to stare out at the kingdom of darkness. “We will be withdrawing for a time, will be closing our gates, but do not believe you can turn against our allies, for we will open those gates and pour out of them like fire to consume you.” He gripped the windowsill tightly. “Do not venture into the Dragons’ lands, do not make the Dragonhold your enemy, but most sacredly of all, _do not_ covet, try to steal, or harm my treasure, because should anything happen to my mate, you will **wish** I was as lenient to you as I was on this day to the citizens of Northumbria.”

Once the last ounce of magic was seeped from Northumbria and its people, Merlin turned to face the bed, saw King Simon’s lifeless body there, and then blinked himself back home.

* * *

 

The Succubus Queen felt it the moment her son began uniting the kingdoms magically. She looked up as power began to gather so strongly it pierced through her pleasure. A bit of panic filtered through her because she had yet to find her release, and yet she did not feel the magic trying to force her to leave, as it should have anyone not of the kingdom. Confusion was the next emotion she felt as she tried to make sense of it, and she couldn’t, not until she realized that she must have been given special permission to stay here, and that made her eyes widen and emotion twist in her chest.

Gripping at the sheets, the queen was about to speak but the tongue inside of her pulled out and those lips wrapped around her clit, causing her to sob out and arch her back as pleasure jolted through her body. She reached down with one hand, digging her fingers into the messy mop of brown hair, trying to push it backwards but the hands on her hips held her in place as the mouth sucking on her did so harder.

With her calves hooked over those shoulders she was completely trapped and unable to pull away, and the grip around her hips anchored them together as the head buried between her thighs slurped loudly at the way she was dripping.

“Hu- _Hunith!”_ She whimpered and tried to push against that head, once more to no avail. “Hu—I’m _trying_ to tell you something imp—-!”

Hunith finally let go only to surge up over her, resting on top of her. “Tell me later,” she said as she gripped the queen’s hair and kissed her. Hunith straddled one of her legs and began to move so that both of their dripping cores were being rubbed by the other’s leg.

She was the Queen of the Succubi, damn it! She would not be bossed around by some—-!

Her eyes rolled in her head and she sobbed as the tingle started to grow, the queen deciding (as pleasure began to grow) that she’d tell Hunith later.

* * *

 

Daegal could feel it the second the kingdom was united to Avalon. Even if he had not, the Elders he’d been communing with had all reacted, and it was thanks to them that he’d been surprised to find out that not only had Avalon joined with Merlin’s kingdom, but Daobeth had been added as well. That intrigued him, as he really did not know anything about Daobeth, but from what the Elders were saying, apparently there was some sort of strange magic in Daobeth, something emitted from crystals, that they could now sense. It was also thanks to the Elders that he now knew these crystals seemed to have shifted, moved location, and now were forming a large ring which wrapped around the Dragonlord’s entire kingdom.

He wasn’t exactly sure how this would work, given how the locations of the kingdoms varied in Albion, but it would appear they seemed joined _now_ , with Avalon in its own island right in the middle of the large empire along with a few other islands he had never heard of before. Ley lines were shifting, were distributing, joining and feeding both Avalon’s sources and Daobeth’s, and funneling it throughout the rest of the kingdom. The Elders were a bit concerned as this king was claimed by darkness, and it was darkness which would befueling both Avalon and the kingdom itself. Not only that, but apparently they were sensing something animalistic in Daobeth that was joining the darkness.

Considering what Daegal knew about Mercia as it had been before, he could understand the Elders' concern. This was no longer one kingdom with a controllable amount of its members affected by dark, animalistic magic - this was a unified empire, one that would be saturated by it. Unlike with Mercia that magic would affect everyone to some degree, not just the ones who’d taken part in dark rituals. It wouldn’t be to the same degree or with the same results, but it would definitely _affect_ them. And then there was the Dark Moon which would magnify everything to a ridiculous degree.

And to be honest, Daegal was a little terrified at the thought of it affecting Arthur Pendragonand making him darker than he already was. The Elders were somewhat worried about that as well, although they were not as honest about their fear as he was. They knew for a fact that they were in the ‘bad books’ of the Dragon’s mate, and they would have to do _a lot_ of work to get into his good graces, because it was more than obvious that that was the safest place to be in going forwards.

Daegal sighed and squared his shoulders.

No time better to start than the present.

* * *

 

Nothing was more beautiful to Morgana than the look of pleasure on Gwen’s face as she was being pleasured. It didn’t matter who was giving that pleasure to Gwen, all Morgana wanted was to see it, because just the sight of it gave _her_ pleasure. Hell, she couldn’t count the amount of times in which she’d climaxed just by looking at Gwen, and even now she was incredibly close, feeling her arousal dripping down the inside of her thighs as she watched the breathtaking scene playing out before her.

Gwen was sandwiched on the floor between two Amatian soldiers, the men all muscle, their cocks plunging into her body so fiercely she would’ve been punted away if it weren’t for the hands holding her hips in place. The men licked and kissed Gwen while their cocks carved her out, both her holes stretched tightly around them.

Sefa was likewise trapped, and despite the slight bulge in her stomach betraying her pregnancy the Amatian soldiers fucked into her with abandon, the one beneath her kissing her filthily in a way that caused her toes to curl.

Both women had reached out towards each other, managing just barely to clasp the other’s fingertips as they were rocked between the soldiers.

Morgana’s hand went to her stomach, and as always there was a moment’s sadness, but she pushed it away for now. She would not mourn in public for what she had lost, and would instead look towards the future. While it had been Sefa who had fallen with child it was _Gwen_ who Morgana wanted to see growing round, and she had decided to make it her mission to make sure that happened. They would have their child, and since she was still too weak from her miscarriage it meant she had every excuse to make Gwen the center of attention of any number of cocks. By the time Gwen finally was pregnant they would have no clue who the father was, and that was perfect. It would be _their_ child. It would not replace the one Morgana had lost, it would not remove its memory or make the mourning any easier than it was, but it would hopefully be the beginning of their healing.

Hearing the knock at the door, Morgana went to open it only to smile at the eight burly men standing outside. “Come on in, the girls have started playing already but the more the merrier.” She opened the door wide and let them in, watching with a grin as the men started to disrobe even as they stepped through the doorway.

**_This will only take a moment of your time._ **

Morgana and everyone else reacted visibly, looking around at each other in confusion as to the voice that had appeared in all of their heads. While she recognized the voice as Merlin’s, Morgana was confused as to what he was doing.

**_I would have preferred to have done this more officially, with a proclamation issued by both Arthur and myself, but time has run out and I must be brief._ **

Even though the men returned to thrusting they were clearly paying attention.

**_We have now been separated from the rest of Albion, and I would advise that you take your time to grow acquainted with your new kingdom once the week of the Dark Moon has passed._ **

Morgana turned to look at the closest man in surprise, everyone else also clearly shocked at the fact that such a monumental occurrence had happened so subtly. As a half druid Morgana had expected to _feel_ something, and yet she hadn’t felt what should have been monumental magic working!

**_I have chosen to speak to each and every citizen in this manner because the Dark Moon is nigh. Already its effects are growing, and I am quite sure more than a few of those I speak to at this moment are engaged in carnality._ **

A chuckle escaped the knights, although the one that had stopped kissing Sefa to do so got pulled back into a kiss so his was quite short-lived.

**_For those who are not Mercian, or have not been a part of the Mercian Court such as certain knights of what was once Camelot and Escetia, you will not only be unprepared for what Dark Week brings, but might wish to not participate in this event. As such, while merging the kingdoms under the Dragonhold, I have created and designated four islands which are easily accessible to every sphere of our kingdom. They surround Avalon, and those who remain there, if they have not taken part in any of the rituals, will be able to pass the week unaffected, as well as be left alone by those who are._ **

Merlin had… created islands? He could _do_ that? How was he still talking to them while sounding unaffected? The merging of the kingdoms alone should’ve had him weak, much less something as powerful and godlike such as _creation_! And yet his voice in Morgana’s head was even, if a little impatient.

“He can _create_?” One of the men asked of the other, proving that Morgana was not the only one who was shocked by this revelation.

“It must be true what the rumors say, that he is descended from the Old Ones,” another whispered, looking incredibly excited at this as he turned to the one besides him. “The Old Ones are the only beings rumored to have had that sort of, and level of, power.”

“Why is that such a surprise?” Another wanted to know. “Do you not know why the Mercians and Escetians refer to his mate as ‘The Queen’ and not ‘King Consort’?” He leaned in closer, eyes wide when the one he asked shook his head that he did not know why. “Those of Camelot themselves told me that the king’s power is to the degree where he can have an heir through the queen, that no woman is needed for them to provide the kingdom with an heir.”

The man’s eyes widened. “ _Fascinating.”_

“Dragonhold,” another comrade instead whispered with an intrigued expression. “Is that what we are to be? I expected us to either take on the name of Mercia or Camelot… but I prefer this new name.”

“It feels as if we are a new kingdom, not that we have been taken over by another,” yet another agreed, before Sefa growled and _once more_ pulled him back to her so he could continue with their kiss.

Morgana actually did not believe that Dragonhold was the name of the new kingdom, she was very sure it was what Merlin was referring to his ‘lair’ as, and yet she could quickly see the smiles on their faces and somehow knew - knew - that that name was going to spread like wildfire throughout the kingdom, whether Merlin had planned on it or not.

**_During the Dark Week those of darkness, those who have participated in our arcane rituals, and those who were claimed by me during battle, will be driven to the urge to rut. They will be affected by the Lunacy, and these Lunatics will spend the Dark Week purging the darkness that has driven them to this point, using either lovers or catamites or consorts or swain… or those who DO wish to participate in the events knowing what will be required of you._ **

The men chuckled.

The man kissing Sefa had apparently learnt his lesson because he merely wrapped his arms around her and kissed her harder, which made her purr in approval.

**_The Dark Week no longer is merely a way for those who have taken the darkness for their kingdom to purge it and regain their sanity, but it will also prove a very important, very valuable, service to your kingdom. I wished to explain it in greater detail before the first Dark Week, but my mate has greater need of me than any of you ever will. If you wish not to participate - head to the isles. You will easily tell which - Avalon - is not one of the sanctuaries. Those who wish to participate, to become Dark Tourists, do so knowing that you will come out of this week changed, as those who have become Dark Tourists have never missed a Dark Week since._ **

Intrigue colored the Amatian men’s faces at that revelation.

**_This is all I wished to say. I will retire to my mate’s and my chamber, and do not plan to leave until he is satiated. In my absence, no matter how long it may take, Sophia and Bors Dragonlord, and Lancelot du Lac, are the ones who shall speak on my mate’s and my behalf. Their word is as true as ours._ **

Morgana was a little surprised that Lancelot’s half-fae cousin was Arthur’s choice of spokesman instead of Kay, and she wondered how the knight was taking such a snubbing, especially considering how embarrassingly in love with Arthur he was. Honestly, considering Kay had gone to Daobeth with Merlin, who was _also_ embarrassingly head over heels and devoted to Arthur, Morgana was a little surprised Kay had come back alive.

**_That is all I wish to say. To those who wish to spend the Dark Week on the isles, my advice is to head there today or tomorrow at the latest. You will be provided for while there. For those who wish to sample Dark Tourism… Welcome._ **

And like that, Merlin’s voice disappeared from their heads.

Sitting down in her seat, Morgana smiled and watched as the men started to move, to huddle around Sefa and Gwen once more. The three women would head for the isles along with Owain and Lucan first thing tomorrow morning.

 _But tonight_ … Morgana bit down her bottom lip and groaned in delight as one of the men eased his cock into Gwen’s mouth, muffling her cries of pleasure. _Tonight we enjoy ourselves._

* * *

 

Merlin blinked into his chambers only to freeze in surprise. He looked around him, confused, not quite sure this _was_ his and Arthur’s quarters. It was hard to tell. Everything was completely different, nothing being the way it had been. While Merlin and Arthur had joined their old quarters with that of the king (choosing to share a chamber instead of having separate yet interconnected ones as was the custom in many kingdoms) their quarters had looked different, and yet still similar enough for it to feel homey.

And yet this was… this was…

Gulping, Merlin felt as if he might have blinked to somewhere else entirely.

“It takes a little getting used to, doesn’t it?” Sophia asked as she appeared from around the corner, barefooted and hair up in a million braids and twists. It was only her presence alone which convinced Merlin he was actually still in New Mercia. “When it started happening at first I was a little _taken aback_ , I did not realize what was happening or why, but it very quickly became obvious that _Arthur_ wasn’t exactly surprised or worried in the least bit so I decided to go with the flow.”

“How is he?” Merlin wanted to know, feeling guilty for having to leave Arthur during such a time as this, but he’d _had_ to do what he had to assure that they would be able to be together, undisturbed, until the heat ended and the Dark Moon passed.

“Bitchy,” Sophia informed him with a smirk. “It seems to come in waves with little moments of reprieve in the middle, but I was actually coming to ‘drag’ your ‘negligent, ungrateful and slow ass’ here on his orders.” She leaned in, voice low. “Heads up, on my way here I caught sight of shackles, and I’m _pretty_ sure they are for _you_.”

Gulping even louder, Merlin cleared his throat. “I am a little afraid to ask where he is. Especially considering I’m not quite sure where _I_ am.”

“It’s a real eye-widener, isn’t it?” Sophia agreed as she placed her hands on her hips and turned to take in the sight as well. “Does this not remind you of Avalon’s and Daobeth’s cores, only they seem to have merged?”

“ _Yes_.” He nodded in agreement immediately, having been thinking the very same thing while looking at what had become of the chambers.

Gone was a large amalgamation of Bayard’s old quarters and Merlin and Arthur’s own, and in its place was something which did not truly even look like a room, and yet somehow felt incredibly homey at the same time. And yet not ‘homey’ in a true regard. It seemed as if they were underground, stone all around them, and jutting from those stones were thousands of softly glowing crystals, which were the main source of light. Apple trees were not only growing all around them and baring ripening fruit, but there was the echo of something that sounded an awfully lot like…

“Is that… a waterfall?” Merlin asked in confusion.

“I’ve been told it’s called the Diamond Falls,” Sophia informed him. “Arthur says it used to be in Escetia.”

Merlin’s eyes widened. “ _Why do we have a toxic waterfall in our bed chambers_?” And did they even _have_ a bed anymore?!?

“I don’t know,” Sophia replied, but did not seem very bothered by this event or what had caused it to happen. “I don’t think it’s toxic anymore. Or if it is, it isn’t to Arthur. Maybe it’s not toxic to dragons? He’s got the scales to prove he still has a strong hint of reptile in his DNA, and maybe, since it was mixed with Igraine’s fae blood… maybe that has given him some sort of immunity. Whatever the reason may be, I didn’t sense any danger from the water towards him, so that is something to be looked into at a later date.”

Sighing heavily, Merlin ran a hand down his face. “Is there anything else I cannot see at first glance that I should be aware of?”

“ _Lots_ ,” she snickered, seeming evilly amused. “I know you’re claimed by darkness, but you must also be claimed by water, because you’re surrounded by it.” She paused head tilted. “Or maybe Arthur descended from a _water dragon_.” She blinked, clearly intrigued by that, before she shook her head and turned her attention back to Merlin. “All I know is that you have the Diamond Falls, you have the Heart of Darkness, and you _also_ have those two dark water pools in that secret chamber in Daobeth.”

Merlin tried to imagine all of that, and yet he couldn’t, and instead shook his head. “Is it purely water beyond that corner?”

“Oh, no, they are in separate ‘rooms’,” she replied.

Mouth opening and closing, Merlin’s eyebrows nearly touched in a frown. “How big _is_ our bed chamber now?”

“Not sure, actually,” she admitted with a shrug, once more apparently not quite bothered by this event or the cause behind it. “But what I _do_ know is that—-.” She then chuckled and brought her hand to her head as she tilted it to the side. “Arthur wants to know whether I have found you yet and whether you have a good excuse for why you’ve been gone so long.”

Merlin sniffed the air and was surprised at how easily he could scent Arthur. It was not only his scent but his arousal, and it was fierce. He could almost see it like a trail which would no doubt lead him to his mate. “I will take it from here.”

She patted his back with the severity of someone sending a loved one towar. “Good luck.” And with that she turned and flickered before disappearing.

Taking in a deep breath, Merlin started the trek through what had once been his bed chambers. It truly did not seem to be a part of the castle anymore. There were bioluminescent vines and foliage, there were crystals and apple trees, there was what seemed to be a cave-like ground beneath his feet. Where there had once been doors there were archways which provided glimpses into the other rooms, which were just as wild and untamable as this, and yet somewhat different in each one. If it were not for Arthur’s scent calling to him Merlin would have taken his time exploring each and every one, but as it was he barely gave himself a second’s peek before continuing onwards.

The closer he got the thicker the scent grew the quicker his pace became.

Finally, Merlin found him, and when he entered through the arched doorway carved into the stone he stumbled to a stop in surprise.

Arthur was inside of the Heart of Darkness, resting with his chin on the arms he had folded on the edge of the pool from which the source of Merlin’s element lived. It should be incredibly toxic to just be around, and yet Arthur _had_ been claimed by the same element, which probably explained why he not only seemed able to be within the pit from which pure darkness coalesced, but looked as if he was trying to relax himself.

And yet the second Merlin stepped through the archway Arthur’s eyes flew open, and while they were Pendragon blue (and not their reptile form) they were clearly feverish.

A snarl escaped Arthur’s lips. “What took you so long?”

“I had to magically join our kingdoms and isolate them from Albion,” Merlin reminded him as he began to disrobe, bolstered by the hungry look in Arthur’s eyes as he watched the action. “I also had to ready our citizens for the Dark Moon.”

“What. Took. You. So. Long?”

Amusement tilted his lips. “You know, _wife_ , that is quite the ungrateful tone to be taking with your husband considering he cut a _number_ of corners in order to be here right now.”

Instead of looking grateful, Arthur’s eyes narrowed.

Able to feel the argument coming, Merlin stepped out of his robes and moved towards the Heart of Darkness. He dipped his toe in and shivered in delight at the feeling before he allowed himself to fall into it, being embraced by the darkness that reached up for him and not only softened his fall, but eased him under the surface. This was truly the first time Merlin had been here of his free will, and conscious, and it surprised him once more how he didn’t feel the need to breathe while under the surface. It was also interesting because, while he definitely could not _see_ while under there, he could sense Arthur, and it was how he swam upwards enough to grab Arthur’s ankles.

Squeezing both ankles and keeping them in place when the blonde would’ve instinctually kicked in surprise, Merlin ran his tongue down the bottom of Arthur’s feet. His grip was unforgiving and kept the boy in place even as the ministrations clearly tickled him, and the blonde jerked uncontrollably. The cambion would not be stopped, though, as he licked and sucked at the soles of those feet, running his tongue and his teeth against its curve and dip. Arthur was trembling above him, and Merlin could feel the boy trying desperately to reach down for him in the darkness, but Merlin was out of reach and kept Arthur from moving so the boy was trapped and forced to accept the teasing.

It was only once Arthur was trembling viciously and uncontrollably that Merlin finally started to work his way upwards, sucking and nibbling on the back of his mate’s calves and knees. Even as he ascended he had his magic keep a hold of Arthur, keeping him in place, leaving him unable to move away or shift. It was very clear that while Arthur was struggling against the hold, he was not trying to move away as much as herd Merlin towards exactly where he wanted him to go, and he was obviously growing impatient.

Reaching Arthur’s ass, Merlin ignored the valley between both cheeks which was on display as Arthur had reached behind him to grab a cheek and spread it as wide as possible. While Merlin very much wanted to taste the slick seeping from Arthur and becoming one with the darkness, he instead concentrated on the cheek Arthur could not spread given he was holding onto the edge of the pool. Teeth clamped down on that cheek, causing a tremor to shake Arthur’s body, and for his back to arch as Merlin sucked and nibbled marks all over.

And then he got a taste of that slick in the darkness, and Merlin lost the battle with himself in a second. A slap to the hand Arthur was using to spread himself caused that hand to retreat, and the second it did Merlin was the one spreading both to display that opening to him. Again, it was odd because he could not exactly _see_ in the darkness, but it was as if a part of him could, and it was that part which knew that not only was Arthur leaking, but his tight star was clenching hungrily.

Nestling his face between those cheeks, Merlin lapped at the quivering ring, groaning at the firsttrue taste of his mate. His fingers kneaded those cheeks, sure to leave bruises all over them as his tongue traced languid circles before slipping in to taste his lover from within. As always it surprised Merlin how Arthur tasted. Never before would Merlin have even considered doing something like this to someone else - always more than happy to be the one being serviced - and yet with Arthur he could not get enough. Whatever the magic changing him had done, it’d made every part of his body a delicacy that was addicting. Not for the first time Merlin pondered on how _he_ might be the addictive one, but yet _he_ was addicted _to Arthur_.

Arthur’s hips continued to move, the blonde continued to struggle. It was more than obvious that while this was pleasurable what he wanted was not a _tongue,_ and the way Arthur desired his cock always filled Merlin with absolute fire. Nothing would make Merlin happier than to take Arthur then and there, but his mate was on the precipice, was one step away from entering into heat, and Merlin didn’t want to violate him into it. No. He wanted to ease his mate into the transition, knowing that it would most definitely be taxing on his body. Maybe, if he helped Arthur enter estrus in as smooth a way as possible the boy’s heat cycle (however long it may last) would not be as grueling as it could be.

Either way, as it would be his first, Merlin doubted the cycle would _not_  be torturous for Arthur, especially given how he’d acted during the time leading up to it. However he could make it easier, better, he would gladly do. That was why he ignored his own desires and reached around Arthur to stroke his hard cock while magic made Merlin’s tongue longer, made it able to pierce Arthur deeper within. He fucked his boy with his tongue, making sure to tease his cluster of nerves, while stroking his rock-hard and trembling cock.

Not only was Arthur struggling, but he was trying to tear the hand off of his asscheek and instead bring it upwards, most probably towards his chest. He finally managed to twist around enough to grab fistfuls of Merlin’s hair, and the boy showed no mercy as he tugged viciously, trying to force Merlin’s mouth from his entrance. Something within Merlin snarled and he slipped his tongue out only to turn his head enough to suck one of Arthur’s balls into his mouth and growl around it threateningly.

The grip on his hair trembled seconds before Arthur very obviously climaxed, and yet the hand continuing to stroke proved nothing had gushed from that end. Instead, the taste of honey gushed from that slutty little hole. Resentment filled Merlin and not having been able to taste it on his tongue, and he let go of his threatening hold long enough to surge forwards and slip his tongue inside once more, tasting the blonde’s pleasure still within him. The tip of his tongue found that nub and loved against it.

Letting go of Arthur’s cock, Merlin gripped his boy’s hips to keep him trapped as his tongue tortured him from inside, unforgiving. Arthur was struggling viciously but Merlin held on tighter and massaged that place within his lover relentlessly until the blonde’s body gave him what he’d demanded, another climax, once more coming from deep within Arthur and having nothing to do with his cock. This time Merlin was able to drink of the delicacy that was causing Arthur to tremble uncontrollably in his grip, and he savored the taste, the accomplishment, the knowledge that he could so completely bring his mate to pleasure. He purred and began to play with those nerves once more.

Once Arthur had been able to work through his accumulation of sexual frustration through each subsequent orgasm Merlin would be able to—-.

Somehow Arthur managed to kick him, hard, in the stomach, shoving the unprepared cambion away from him.

Completely caught unawares, Merlin doubled over in the darkness, clutching at his stomach in shock and pain. What—? Why would Arthur—? Something inside of Merlin twisted painfully, angrily. His eyes widened as the dragon resurged inside of him, snarling and growling, clawing. He tried to keep it inside, tried to beg his dragon to hold on just a little longer, tried to reason with it that it had waited all this time it could wait a little longer. Arthur didn’t need to deal with the dragon on top of his first heat _and_ the Dark Moon. This was too much to handle all at once, they needed to be strong, needed to hold out a little longer, at least until either the Dark Week or the heat cycle ended (whichever came first). With one of those overwhelming factors out of the way the dragon could appear and could do whatever it wanted to.

Despite Meriln’s pleads to his inner dragon, not only was it not listening to him, but the ‘shell’ trapping the dragon began to crumble.

The dragon flung out its wings.

Merlin lost the fight.

* * *

 

Gripping the edge of the pitch-black pit tightly, Arthur used that grip to kick out with his feet, the aim not to hurt the cambion but to provoke the dragon. The blonde was a little unnerved at the fact that other than the first kick none of his subsequent ones were landing, and he stopped kicking out in worry that Merlin might actually think he was truly protesting. And yes, he _was_ protesting, but not his touch - just the fact that Merlin, for some reason, wasn’t giving him what his body needed.

With each orgasm the pain, the need, the agonizing desperation, grew. His body had started to tremble with just how overwhelmingly desirous he was. Merlin didn’t need to prepare him. Didn’t need to ‘get him in the mood’ or whatever the _hell_ the idiot had been doing. Arthur had been ready and rearing for far too long, _that_ was the problem, and the longer Merlin made him wait, the more he forced Arthur’s body to rise to those empty pleasures which only amped up his frustration and need, the quicker Arthur would be to actually losing his mind.

Given how close to the surface the dragon had been in Daobeth Arthur had been quite sure one kick would be all that was needed to bring it back into control, and yet the darkness around the blonde was still. Where was Merlin? Had—had Arthur genuinely _hurt_ him with that kick? Was something wrong? Was Merlin angry? What if—?

Suddenly pain pierced through Arthur’s hips seconds before he was yanked under the darkness too quickly for him to even cry out, his stomach scraping against the side as it happened. His fingertips dug into the side of the pit on reflex and yet that grip on his hips was unforgiving, yanking him down further and further into the pitch black, before suddenly letting him go, causing his body to spin over and over again in the darkness, the boy not quite sure which way was up anymore.

And then he was sideswiped by something, and then again in the opposite direction. It didn’t hurt but it definitely was leaving him dizzy and disoriented to the point where it took him a couple of seconds to realize he was being pushed from behind seconds before he was shoved into a wall. He didn’t hurt himself despite not bracing for impact, because something oddly squishy appeared between his face at the pit’s wall seconds before he hit, shielding his face from any damage. But then it was gone, yanked away, and Arthur found himself pinned against the pit’s wall by a body.

It didn’t feel like Merlin’s, and yet Merlin was the only one who could touch Arthur without him feeling disgusted, so he knew for a fact that this _was_ his mate. Everything around him was pitch-black so even if his cheek _wasn’t_ being pressed roughly against the wall he would’ve been unable to see the form behind him. That was why he concentrated on the feel of it against him to get a better idea of it with the help of what he’d seen in Daobeth.

This body was covered in those smooth scales, and something about it seemed _off,_ but he couldn’t quite place _what._ Teeth dug into the bite mark Merlin had left on him in Daobeth, which still had not healed, and the pain sent jolts of fire to Arthur’s cock, which twitched from its place trapped between his own stomach and the pit’s wall. He rubbed his ass against Merlin only to whimper when he realized this position had him merely rubbing against Merlin’s scale-covered abdomen, and yet the clawed hands digging into his hips did not allow him to shift his body and move further down to better angle himself.

That didn’t mean he didn’t try though, and all he got for his troubles was a growl into his flesh and the tightening of those claws into him. He also, however, realized Merlin seemed to have claws on his feet as well because those were dug into the pit’s wall and were helping to not only pin Arthur to it but keep them from sinking deeper.

He then felt _it_ brush against him and he froze in utter shock.

 _This_ was why he’d wanted Merlin to finally stop being Mini. _Now_ he had a better idea of what—and it was—was it _bigger_ than the demon? Given the sizable girth Mini Merlin had had - and that the demon was something that Arthur was still surprised he could take - the blonde was both terrified and turned on even more than he’d been when he’d first seen the demon’s cock. And yet just like then his body was on fire, seeming to instinctively recognize his mate no matter the form he took and desire him fiercely.

Trying to push down on his hips proved impossible given the claws digging in tight, and horribly enough the dragon did not seem about to do more than allow his cockhead to rub ever so softly against Arthur’s dripping core. And yet even the slight bit of contact shot through Arthur’s like wildfire, causing him to groan, the sound silent yet being carried up in bubbles. Unlike the demon and Merlin, the dragon had already proven to be a stubborn creature, and Arthur was still not sure how to deal with it. Of course, it didn’t help that he’d purposely provoked it earlier, and from its reaction in Daobeth he knew the beast held grudges.

_What do I have to do to get it to breed me?_

Feeling that odd rumble coming from the mouth closed around his bitemark, Arthur reacted instinctively, tilting his neck to the side, and almost immediately he felt that cock pulsate against him in approval. It hit him then that the dragon was once again establishing dominance over him - keeping its fangs into his bite mark, and claws in his flesh, keeping him pinned to the wall with its cock as an ever-present ‘threat’.

Like before in Daobeth, the dragon was lording the fact that it had total control over Arthur’s body, and that with just one thrust of its hips it could take the blonde whenever it wanted. It was ‘wearing Arthur’s resistance down’, clearly asserting itself and its alphadom over what it probably saw as its stubborn bitch.

Arthur and the dragon were truly after the same thing, they both wanted it to rut him, to force its cock inside of Arthur no matter the struggle. The tilting and outstretching of his own neck was a clear sign of submission, they both knew it, and if the way the dragon loosened his grip on Arthur’s hips was anything to go by, it was pleased. That was why Arthur tried his luck and reached down, taking one of those scale-covered hands and easing it up to his lips so he could explore it with his tongue. Like the body behind him there was something different about this hand, but Arthur really didn’t care as he licked its palm and the fingers which led up to each claw.

The scales weren’t rough at all, in fact, they were incredibly smooth, and their taste on his tongue had the same affect that Merlin’s scent did while giving pleasure to multiple partners. A fine webbing existed between each digit and yet as it trembled under Arthur’s tongue it retracted back downwards. Arthur tried to coax it back up but it must be extremely ticklish for the dragon because his lover began to tremble slightly above him. It was fascinating that such a dominating creature was allowing Arthur the chance to explore him like this, and Arthur jumped at the opportunity to continue, forgetting, for a second, that his mission had been to provoke the dragon in a _different_ way.

Instead now he pressed his tongue flat against one of the digits and slowly trailed it upwards, tasting the amazing taste that made his hips arched instinctively as that something inside of him clenched hungrily. His tongue reached where the large, thick claw started, and while he eased the pressure of his exploratory lick to try and avoid slicing his own tongue, Arthur continued to trail his tongue upwards. The claw did not have that same addictive taste as the scales did, but there was something powerful and arousing in knowing that such a vulnerable part of Arthur was interacting with such a dangerous part of Merlin, and yet the blonde could feel the way that claw backed slowly, protectively, right before Arthur could press too hard with his tongue and hurt himself. It was more than obvious that while the dragon had no qualms with bullying Arthur or roughing him up, it did not want to truly hurt him, and that betrayal of its feelings for him made him groan happily.

Rumbling in pleasure, the dragon rocked its hips, pressing that conical, spiraling cockhead against Arthur’s tight ring, causing him to whimper in need. Ever since he’d known Merlin might have a dragon form Arthur had coveted it, and now it was here, and it was nestled between his thighs, and he wanted it inside of him where it belonged.

Before he could even start to figure out his game plan when it came to soothing the dragon’s ego and seducing it into finally taking him, Arthur felt the claw against his tongue slowly retracting, proving (like with the webbing) that it could fold away. He was curious as to this but quickly lost that train of thought when the digit returned, this time clawless (or, well, with the claw much smaller and more similar to a fingernail even if much sharper). The digit trailed his lips, thescale on its pad leaving traces of that amazing taste all over, and when Arthur proved unable to resist licking it from himself that digit took the opportunity to slip in passed his open lips. Another joined it now that the other had opened the pathway.

That taste was now thick and rich in his mouth, and Arthur sobbed as that place within him writhed, clearly in protest that _it_ was not being taken as well. His insides clenched, almost spitefully, over and over again, as if _sure_ that they could not be ignored this way when Arthur’s mouth was receiving such attention. And yet each time his innermost depths clenched and could not find his mate, it clenched harder, and then harder, as if sure that if it tried hard enough it would find Merlin.

Another orgasm ripped its way through Arthur as his body tortured itself in its search for its mate. While the boy was used to multiple orgasms rocketing through his body, they were usually of the deliriously pleasurable kind. And yet these were torturous. There was a lack of true pleasure, of completeness, in them, and they just amped up his desire, his need, to have his mate finally stop being such a cock tease and to give Arthur what he was literally going crazy for. But there was no true way to beg for it, not with them submerged, and not with those two fingers spreading his lips wide around them.

It was in that minute that he realized just how bigger and thicker Merlin’s fingers were, and it was only due to the fact that his lips were straining to hold two of them. Taste seemed to seep out of their scales, a taste which only grew stronger when Arthur’s tongue worshipped those digits as best it could. Arthur’s throat worked as he swallowed his own saliva mixed in with that flavor, and he could truly _feel_ it journey down his throat and throughout his whole body. What _was_ this taste? Was it something unique to the dragon or was it a byproduct of the demon? Was it meant to drive those who tasted it to unabashed lust or was it having that affect on Arthur because he was its mate?

There were so many questions rolling around in his head, but then those fingers began to move, fucking his mouth teasingly, cruelly adding further resentment and desperation to Arthur’s deepest depths as it tried once more to reconcile the fact that Arthur’s mouth was receiving all of his mate’s attention while the part of him that gushed with his desperation was merely being teased by the softest of hints of his mate’s cockhead.

For the first time ever Arthur got the tiniest of tastes of what it must be like for Merlin to have his triality because the blonde sensed what actually felt like utter hatred and resentment in his innermost place. It took him by surprise, his eyes widening as he brought one hand to his stomach. His body was being resentful and jealous _of itself_! Was this because of his oncoming heat? If so - how exactly would it react when he actually was in full-blown estrus? The thought was somewhat terrifying.

Seeming to misunderstand Arthur’s hand moving to his own stomach, the dragon’s other hand reached around to find and stroke the boy’s cock. The feeling of the scales against such a delicate and sensitive part of him like that caused pleasure to ripple down his shaft instantly as he arched his back and rested the back of his head against his lover. This response clearly pleased the dragon because its strokes grew quicker while the fingers fucking Arthur’s mouth plunged in more roughly.

It felt amazing. It truly did. But Arthur had quickly come to realize that while Merlin could give him pleasure through his cock, it did not compare with the pleasure he could find when Merlin paid attention to other parts of his body, and Arthur was a glutton for pleasure. That was why he reached for that wrist and tried to urge it away from his own cock and instead lead it up to his chest like he had with Merlin earlier. His pleasure was greatest when being suckled while penetrated, and yet even a mere touch to his constantly sore, overly-stimulated nipples was able to pleasure him greater than even finding release through stroking his cock could.

And yet, just like Merlin before him, the dragon would not listen to Arthur’s demands, and continued to stroke him. While Merlin had no doubt had some stupid ‘this is best for Arthur’ reasoning behind his actions, the dragon’s was clearly domination. It wanted to touch Arthur’s cock, it wanted to prove to Arthur that every bit of his body was its to touch, fondle and caress as it saw fit. This was probably a byproduct of the dragon being trapped for so long, unable to do anything while Merlin and the demon had their way. It had probably felt neglected, forgotten, and due to that felt it had a point to make, that it needed to establish itself, both as a source and as an important side of Arthur’s mate.

 _Give me your cock, Cherished Dragon,_ he tried to convey his thoughts to the dragon the way some of Merlin’s were to him. _Am I not your bitch to mate with and to breed?_ He could feel the body behind him shiver slightly, and it emboldened him as he finally was able to press down against that cockhead, causing his tight ring to burn as it was slowly forced open. _Show me my place, show me who I belong to. I have wanted you so badly. Now that you are finally here with me fill me with your seed, my mate._

There was a snarl, and then the dragon pressed up with his hips, making the burn tenfold as that conical, spiraled cockhead slowly began to breach. The tip slipped inside, and Arthur arched even further as his body tried to accommodate the widening girth. His toes curled and hedug his fingers deeply into his mate’s arms, sobbing soundless into the darkness as the dragon failed to ease him slowly like Merlin or the demon would’ve. Arthur’s body was being taken, was trying desperately to adapt to this new form its mate had taken, and while it hurt slightly Arthur’s cock was throbbing with the pleasure mixed in with the pain.

The dragon let out a whimper that vibrated from its mouth to Arthur’s skin and went straight to his cock. While it was mere vibrations it somehow felt both pained and pleasured, just like the blonde, and equally as desperate, shedding its ruthless dominance for a split second to reveal just how affected it was by finally being able to breach him.It nuzzled its face in Arthur’s hair affectionately, licking at his neck and ear, its hands returning to dig deep into his hips as it pressed down roughly… and its cockhead _popped_ completely into Arthur, causing them both to tense and shiver.

Despite it only be the first of the ridges that made up the dragon’s cock, Arthur climaxed once more, tightening around that cockhead and bathing it in sticky pleasure that seeped passed his stretched hole. Unlike his previous orgasms this one made Arthur shiver in aftershocks of delight, and it was more than obvious why. This time the feeling wasn’t empty, fruitless, this time it was aiding the dragon, it was covering its cock with the slick that would ease in its own penetration. While Arthur had long since accepted and enjoyed the way his body desired his mate, it still sometimes managed to surprise him - like now - with just how much of a wanton whore it was for any version of Merlin.

Suddenly the dragon shifted them so Arthur was completely pressed (from head to toe) against the wall and its body. He only barely managed to grab purchase on the wall with his fingernails before the dragon took advantage of this position and started to forcefully split Arthur’s body open as it relentlessly drove its hips forwards. The boy sobbed and dug his nails deeper into the pit’s walls, shifting his lower body to rest his tiptoes on the feet the dragon had claws-deep into the side as well, keeping them from falling down. He’d merely wanted some stability so he could spread his legs wider in an attempt to assist, to better accommodate the massive rod, but the dragon must’ve misunderstood again because it shifted once more and pinned him harder before beginning to buck its hips ruthlessly, popping the second in the tier of ever wider ridges that made up its shaft inside of the boy on a particularly vicious thrust.

Arthur was on fire, and he was screaming endlessly as his body found release once more, even greater than before. He rocked his hips back desperately, trying to force more of the dragon inside, to get to another tier, and while his body was still spasming in pleasure the dragon began to ram itself inside of Arthur, forcing his body more and more open as each thrust speared him in a little deeper. The boy was _gushing_ slick at this point and sobbing unintelligently as his body was brutally claimed inch by inch, that cock unrelenting in its claiming. He’d lost the ability to think, instead finding himself desperate to stroke the bulge he knew was there, but unable to thanks to his stomach being pressed so roughly against the wall.

A part of him resented being unable to caress the betrayal of his mate’s claim, but the pleasure he was getting at the dragon’s merciless penetration was far too great for him to hold a grudge. He’d be able to stroke his lover through his stomach later, they had a whole heat cycle for him to get everything he wanted, for now Arthur gloried in the way his dragon gave him what he’d needed as it popped more and more of its shaft into him with aggressive determination. While Arthur loved how much Merlin adored him, he also quite loved the way the dragon didn’t give him any say in the matter. Arthur was its mate and it would have him, it didn’t matter to the dragon how much Arthur might struggle, and some twisted little dark part of him not only enjoyed that treatment, but absolutely craved it.

With a vicious thrust the dragon popped the remaining tiers of his shaft into Arthur, stealing the boy’s breath as it bottomed out inside of him. His insides clenched tightly around the impossibly massive root buried within him, and almost immediately the dragon hid its face in his neck and let out a series of whimpers, as if just the feeling of finally being completely inside of him had completely overwhelmed it.

Once more Arthur was hit with just how important an existence he was to every facet of Merlin, and while it was empowering, it was also humbling. It was also terrifying. Because what if he lost this? What if someone took it away? How could he ever survive after having known such utter devotion only to have it ripped away from him? He’d barely survived it when he’d only known _Merlin the Sorcerer_ … but what if Merlin had opened himself up to Arthur when he’d been a slave?

What would have happened had Arthur not fucked that situation up so monumentally? What would have happened had Arthur not continuously taken his frustration out on Merlin? Had not always pushed Merlin away? Had not continuously, purposefully hurt him? What would have happened had Arthur realized sooner that what he was feeling wasn’t wrong? What would have happened had he accepted his feelings sooner? What would have happened to Arthur had he not only had his sorcerer - but had experienced the pleasure and gloried in the devotion of his demon and dragon?

And then had lost them all?

Fear and nausea fluttered through him at the very thought.

What if Mercia had never taken the bait? Or what if they had but Arthur had not discovered the Devil’s Hound was Merlin?

 _What if Morgana’s child had been born with Pendragon blue eyes_?

Anger, murderous and dark, curled in Arthur’s system as his mind continued to travel to terrible places. Even if peace had been achieved between Mercia and Camelot through Morgana’s marriage to Bayard…

And it didn’t even have to be that kid - Aurelius…

From what Arthur had been able to understand of the situation it appeared that while the Dragonlord’s spirit seemed to be reincarnated after every time he was cut down saving his Pendragon… the Pendragon _was not_ reincarnated, merely something within a certain Pendragon born every couple of generations became dominant and somehow manifested that dominance in their eye color. The eye color that would call to the Dragonlord’s spirit.

If Tauren had not interfered Merlin could have ended up with Aurelius. Arthur had seen the way the younger version of Merlin had acted towards Aurelius, it had been similar to how Mini Merlin had acted towards Arthur himself. If Tauren had not used his magic on Merlin, had Tauren not existed, Merlin could have bonded - could have mated - with Aurelius long before Arthur had even been born. Arthur could have grown up not knowing  _his_ mate was alive and had been stolen by his whore of an uncle. Or maybe Arthur  _would_ have met Merlin through his uncle, and the blonde could not truly decide whether that was better or worse, because Arthur would have had Merlin in his life, would've understood why life had been boring and frustrating and incomplete up until that point... yet he would have had to stand there and watch his mate be with someone else.

Or what if everything had happened between them as it had up until his abduction by Nimueh, yet Arthur had never discovered his mate was alive… and Morgana’s child had been born with his color eyes? Would Merlin have fallen for that child? Arthur had seen the way his perceived betrayal had broken Merlin, but would his mate have slowly healed due to being around that child? Would Merlin have gotten over Arthur because of that child? Would he have transferred his vow of obedience from Bayard to that child? Would he have been the one to train that child? Would he have actually _lived_  what was only a beloved fantasy roleplay for Arthur - something Arthur truly craved and resented had not been reality - with that child? Would he have allowed himself to become seduced by that child? Would he have eventually mated with that child? Would Arthur have been _replaced_ by _that child_?

 _MINE!_ Arthur trembled in violent rage as he reached back to dig his fingers into the dragon’s hips. _MINE! ONLY MINE!_ He rocked his hips back, and while his body screamed in pleasure his mind was screaming something else entirely. _NO ONE ELSE CAN HAVE YOU! YOU ARE MINE! Your human is_ ** _mine_** _. Your demon is_ ** _mine_** _. Your dragon is_ ** _mine_** _!_ He shuddered when the dragon whimpered into his neck and began to meet Arthur’s thrusts with his own. _I’ll kill any other Pendragon with my eye color if I have to_ , he swore. _I am the_ ** _only_** _one who will_ ** _ever_** _be yours. If anyone else ever tries to take you from me - especially another Pendragon - I will_ ** _destroy_** _them._ He choked when the dragon began to slam itself inside of him aggressively. **_I_** _am your bitch,_ ** _me_** _._ ** _I_** _was born to be your mate, to house your cock and store your seed._ ** _I_** _will have your children. YOU. ARE._ ** _MINE_** _._

The cock inside of him started to throb, causing its bumps and grooves to harden, to shift ever so slightly, but the change was immediate as his insides were scraped in a clear tell-tale sign that his dragon was close to giving him his first seeding. Instead of the demon’s ridges spiking into him, the dragon’s conical, spiral head tickled something very deep inside of Arthur, making his insides dance and open up, allowing that cock to further advance closer and closer to his womb. Scaled hands gripped his hips and began to slam him down violently in time to those aggrieve thrusts, forcing more and more of it into him, and Arthur quickly found himself overwhelmed by the sensation-filled textures that assailed him from within.

Suddenly something large at the base of the dragon’s cock burned at Arthur’s entrance, and his eyes flew open as the dragon stopped thrusting in favor of continuously shoving down ruthlessly at Arthur’s hips, trying to force that hardened bulge inside of him. His body cried out at the savagery even as slick once more gushed, and yet it was a battle to open up to whatever that was. Just as Arthur thought it would prove to be impossible something gave, and then suddenly, with one last brutal thrust, the dragon forced that huge bulge passed his stretched ring and into his body.

The second it was buried inside of Arthur the dragon seeded him so roughly Arthur could feel his mate’s lifestream assault his innermost depths. The ferocity of the seeding alone was like an attack, and even if the dragon’s completion hadn’t already triggered his own climax this level of aggression would’ve. The boy screamed as he found his own pleasure, one so intense his whole body shook uncontrollably.

Nuzzling Arthur’s hair, the dragon soothed him through his pleasure, being the softest it had ever been. It rubbed Arthur’s body sweetly as the boy slowly descended from the pleasure which had nearly made him faint.

 ** _Mate pleasured._** The thoughts rumbled in his head. **_Mate relaxed. Mate took knot. Mate cannot escape now. Mate will be bred._**

A shiver of delight trailed down Arthur’s back and he gave an experimental pull away, finding that the dragon was right, he was very much stuck. Not only that, but with the ‘knot’ inside of him it was pressing up against his cluster of nerves and making him tremble every time he moved even a little bit.

 ** _Mate trying to escape._** The rumbled thoughts continued. ** _Mate will grow tired. Mate will accept in time_**. The dragon then gripped Arthur and… _shifted him around on his cock_ … so that Arthur was now sobbing at the way that had teased his nub.

It took a couple of minutes for Arthur to realize in the pitch black that he now was facing the dragon and straddling his hips. The blonde was more than eager for this change in position as he not only wrapped his legs around his mate, but reached up and urged the dragon down to kiss him. He swallowed the dragon’s pleased rumbles and then froze when he felt something wrapping protectively around them.

Wings.

They were _wings_.

A shudder of excitement coursed through his body as Arthur undulated his hips, sobbing into the dragon’s mouth as that knot tortured his prostrate while that shaft teased his body and that tip tickled him deep within. He was surprised that the dragon was allowing him to move at his own pace, but he didn’t think too much about it given just how overwhelmingly pleasurable the tiniest of movements were. The boy shifted away from his dragon, grinning at the displeased rumble he felt in the darkness, as well as the way it turned to a choked whimper when he leaned back against the dragon’s furled wings, using them to prop himself up as he fucked himself on that cock.

Just as he was about to reach for his stomach, to stroke his lover’s form, the dragon surged forwards and wrapped its lips around Arthur’s nipple, beginning to suckle at him urgently. Arthur threw his head back and mewled, his hands instead going to his lover’s head, urging him to continue. He truly lost himself to the pleasure because the next thing he knew they were no longer against the wall, instead they were drifting through the darkness, the dragon’s wings wrapped around them while its claws were in his hips, moving him as much as he could while knotted, its lips suckling Arthur raw.

The boy crossed his ankles around his lover as his toes curled in utter delight.

It was as he sat on his mate’s lap, drifting endlessly through the pitch-black pit while receiving the dragon’s loving in the way Arthur loved best, that the deliriously happy boy finally went into heat.


	2. Chapter 2

On his hands and knees on the cave floor, Arthur let out sounds he had never made before as every ounce of his strength was being used to keep from being shoved down completely. The dragon loomed over him, connected through the knot, and yet somehow even with the knot firmly in place it managed to jackhammer itself into him relentlessly. It was a fight to dig his palms and knees into the cave floor, to keep from being pinned down completely, and his muscles burned from the effort. Arthur now knew from experience that not only would the dragon not care, but it would just continue fucking him no matter where he fell. It felt no pity or shame, and it had a seemingly endless amount of desire and seed.

Arthur’s cock, however, betrayed the fact that this did not bother the boy in the least bit. In fact, it was dripping translucent slick as it swung with each vicious thrust into him. Below him was a growing puddle of pleasure which expanded more and more, also being fed by the stickiness gushing down the insides of Arthur’s thighs all the way to his knees. The dragon might see Arthur as his mate, but it also clearly saw him as _its bitch_ , and it was apparently choosing to satiate its years of pent-up desire and need into him.

Despite the fact that Arthur’s body absorbed Merlin’s seed it was having difficulty doing so fast enough to keep up with the non-stop seeding it was receiving. Because of this his stomach was more expanded than ever, it was slightly painful. His skin felt tight and stretched, and yet every time the dragon reached forwards with its clawed hand to rub and caress the bulge Arthur found it harder and harder to breathe from how that mere action inflamed his own desire.

**_Good bitch. Sweet bitch. Tight bitch. My bitch._ **

Arthur keened in complaint. The dragon’s thoughts seemed like cheating. It had to know by now that Arthur could hear it, and yet it continued thinking such delicious thoughts that it knew made Arthur lose his strength. That was cheating.

**_Cockhole. Cocksleeve. Cockglove._ **

Arms and legs turning to jelly, Arthur finally lost the battle and collapsed, a wing once more shielding his face before it could hit the hard ground. It was quickly clear this was what the dragon had wanted because it rumbled happily as it settled itself over him. The slick that had puddled beneath him lubed and protected his cock from the scrape the rest of him was suffering from, and when he noticed one of those claws testing the depth of the puddle Arthur realized this had been planned. The dragon had assailed his mind with the same ferocity it had his body and waited for that puddle to get deep enough so it could do just this.

**_No escape from knot. Gonna breed bitch. Fill bitch with baby dragons._ **

Arthur yowled and dug his nails into the cave floor. Every nerve in his body was on fire, overly stimulated. He’d blacked out twice already from being unable to process the height of pleasure he was feeling, and each and every time he’d awoken some time later to the feeling of more seed assailing his innermost place, the dragon having continued to breed him through his unconsciousness. That should horrify him and yet each time Arthur was shocked awake this way he could barely contain his twisted arousal.

**_Dragon’s mate. Dragon’s bitch. Dragon’s hole._ **

_“Gods below_!” Arthur could feel his body clenching desperately around that cock at those titles, especially the last one. “Yesssss. Your hole. I’m your hole.”

Rumbling in pleasure in Arthur’s ear, the dragon’s thrusts grew sharper. **_Hole for dragon’s cock._**

“Yessssssssssssssss!” Arthur screamed as he climaxed, his body spasming tightly around his mate and trying to milk him. “A hole for your cock, for your seed.” He reached behind him as best he could in this position, urging the dragon harder. “Use me, my dragon, give me all the loving you’ve been unable to!”

A whine echoed in the cave as the knot started to harden and expand while the shaft itself began to scrape. Its spiraled head teased Arthur’s deepest places ticklishly, causing them to quiver and open further.

Arthur, knowing instinctively by now what this meant, angled his hips as best he could while being pinned under that weight, presenting himself eagerly. His dragon did not disappoint, an explosion of seed gushing forth from within him, easily filling that opened depth.

 ** _Dragon’s perfect hole._** It nuzzled Arthur’s hair. **_Dragon’s breeding bitch._** It rotated its hips to carve him open and allow its seed to better disperse. **_Won’t stop. Can’t stop. WON’T stop. Cry. Fight. Beg. Won’t stop._**

Oh gods… oh gods… he was still riding out his orgasm and yet could feel yet another one building.

 ** _Won’t stop._** It was clearly a threat. **_Be good hole. Good bitch. Give Dragon babies. Won’t stop._**

Despite still not having ridden out his last orgasm, Arthur came again.

* * *

 

Bors figured no one else could see it, at least not the humans of the kingdom (which he’d heard being referred to as ‘Dragonhold’ more than once since Merlin’s proclamation), but Bors himself could most definitely see it. The Ley lines that all now originated from under the castle were pulsating. The magic that was funneling out of it was quite intense, and thanks to that the draconic darkness was pulsating out towards every inch of the kingdom. In the _very_ far distance he could see a hint of a glow, and he figured it meant that the crystals were feeding very happily off of this energy, as well as the energy of the sexual activity which was starting to truly break out.

The last of those headed towards the sanctuary islands had left earlier this morning, and it was a good thing too, because the magic and energy pouring from the Ley lines was clearly affecting the kingdom just as fully as the Dark Moon. Being what he and Sophia were, Bors could tell the different energies and magic, and thanks to that he could ‘see’ the way the Dark Moon now rising in the sky was affecting the people... and how that energy coming from Merlin and Arthur’s room was. Given this, Bors had a feeling that even without the Dark Moon this sort of behavior might continue to prevail, even if only because he doubted Merlin and Arthur would stop doing whatever the hell they were doing right now.

And, to be honest, the energy coming from the royal bedchambers seemed stronger than the effects of the Dark Moon. It was probably being heightened by Arthur’s heat, but _still_. This was impressive!

The beds in the infirmary were all being used, and Bors smirked as he watched the goings on. Thanks to Merlin’s comments during his proclamation quite a number of the men of Dragonhold had stayed behind, and while it had been obvious at first that they'd thought more women would do so as well (which had clearly been the reason they’d stayed), the Dark Moon, the Dark Magic from Arthur and Merlin’s Ley lines, and the Dark Claimed quickly overpowered any disappointment and disinterest they may have felt once they realized there were only men around them.

Quite a couple of those men were on their backs on the beds, groaning and writhing as they were taken by their first cock. While it was more than obvious they never would’ve allowed this had they not been overwhelmed by so many different magical factors, it was also obvious how much pleasure they were receiving. Quite a few of them, in fact, had more than one cock showing them favor, and they were eagerly stroking or sucking those cocks while digging their heels into the asses of the men fucking them, urging them in deeper.

It was no surprise that Bors’ ‘cousin’ was the one being paid the most attention, not considering the castle was divided on whether Lancelot or Arthur was the best looking person in the kingdom. While Lancelot and Cassius had recently decided to practice their own form of monogamy Lancelot had told Bors - who’d asked about how they planned on handling the Dark Moon - that when it came to the Dark Week ‘anything goes’, and that was more than obvious right now.

Lancelot’s bed was crowded around, with a ridiculous amount of men either playing with him or waiting their turn to do so. It was clear that his admirers had waited for the Dark Moon to finally approach him and take what they’d been unable to up until that point. He was on the bed with one of the older lords looming over him, fucking into him enthusiastically for someone his age. Cassius stood on the other end, working his cock into his husband’s throat, expression filled with pleasure. It would seem that the older lords had pulled rank because they were the ones at the forefront while the younger lords stood behind awaiting their turn. The older men crowded Lancelot, the lucky ones able to use his hands or feet, while the others merely rubbed their cocks against any bit of exposed skin they could find.

The second the lord inside of Lancelot came he was yanked away and quickly replaced by another who started to leave marks all over his olive skin.

Honestly, while Lancelot _was_ handsome, Bors didn’t understand why more attention wasn’t being shown to Cassius. Sure, he wasn’t as young or traditionally handsome as his counterpart, but Cassius was very attractive, and he was also a master of the human body - how was that not sexy? Plus, he had a hot ass, one that was very much on display as he thrusted into Lancelot’s mouth.

Undoing his breeches, Bors moved to Cassius, having decided (without even realizing it) who his first tryst would be with. He’d gone into this with some idea of who he wanted to play around with, and while he’d wanted to add Cassius to the mix from the very beginning he’d been unsure whether to do so given his supposed connection to Lancelot. Being right here right now though made up his mind for him, and very quickly at that. If this brought Bors trouble later he could always blame it on the Dark Moon - and really, could Lancelot honestly complain given how much fun _he_ was having?

It was with that justification that Bors snuck up behind Cassius and trapped him in his embrace, plastering himself behind the Court Physician and slipping his head in under the older man’s shirt, hiding his identity right before Cassius could look behind him.

“What are you—-?” Cassius’ voice broke when Bors began to suck and nibble on his back while rubbing his cockhead against his entrance. “Who—?”

Using his control over water, Bors drew on the water inside of Cassius, working on it, shifting it, until he felt something close enough to slick start to seep out of Cassius and onto his cockhead. The boy gripped Cassius’ hips and sucked marks all over his back while beginning to ease himself into the older man. A throaty groan escaped Cassius’ lips as he stilled yet did not try to move away or get free.

“ _So good_ ,” Bors whimpered a little louder than he would’ve liked as he worked his way into that tight channel. “Cass, you feel _so amazing_.”

“ **Bors**?” Cassius’ breath hitched seconds before tremors raced through his body.

“ _Shhhhhhh,”_ Bors whispered into his back as he continued to fight his way into the body he was manipulating to be slick enough so as to ease the penetration. “You don’t use this part of you much, if at all, do you, Cass?” He groaned happily at the virgin tightness clenching around him. “Don’t worry…” he ran his hands up and down Cassius’ abdomen roughly as he finally bottomed out inside of the Court Physician. “I’ll be sure to love it _really_ thoroughly.”

“ _Gods below_!” Cassius sobbed as his hips bucked into Lancelot’s mouth, only to in turn move the cock inside of him. “Why are—?” He didn’t finish his question though, instead grabbing Bors’ hand and lowering it from his abdomen to the base of his cock. “Spread your fingers, Bors,” Cassius ordered.

Intrigued and very enthused with this reaction, Bors moved to grip Cassius around the waist with his other hand, shifting his hips to press his cock deep inside of the older man, and then did as told, spreading his fingers. He sucked and nibbled on Cassius’ back, barely aware when Cassius positioned his hand so that the V formed between Bors’ pointer and middle fingers was stretched around the base of his cock and brushed Lancelot’s lips whenever the knight was thrusted into by the lord fucking him.

A part of Bors had wondered whether Cassius would try to hide what was happening, but the fact that he’d so obviously positioned them so Lancelot would know was hella exciting. It held nocandle, however, to when Cassius finally started to move, awkwardly at first. With Bors buried so insistently inside of him Cassius was good and trapped, if he wanted to fuck Lancelot’s mouth he had to in turn fuck himself on Bors’ cock, and while Cassius was very obviously not used to being the one being taken…

A strangled sound escaped Cassius’ lips as he thrusted in earnest, and yet while his ass clenched with the force with which he took Lancelot’s mouth, his back arched and his body opened up as he backed his hips so as to fully receive Bors’ cock.

Best. Dark. Moon. _Ever_.

“So good, Cass, _so good_ ,” Bors praised as he finally started to move his hips, fucking into Cass and driving his cock into Lancelot’s mouth. “How does it feel to know you’re being fucked by another man while your husband can only watch?” He angled this thrusts, searching. “I bet you’re used to everyone wanting him, that you’re used to being the one who watches, because you don’t even seem to get how fucking hot you are. I know it’s bad, but I’ve wanted to fuck your ass for _so long_.” He bit hard enough to where he knew he’d leave a mark. “I’m gonna cum inside of you, Cass, gonna give your sweet ass its first taste of seed.” He was so close at the very thought, his grip around Cassius tightening and his voice going strained. “If I make you feel good will you do the same for  _me_?”

A confused sound escaped Cassius’ lips but was driven away by one of pure carnal delight when Bors finally found that place inside of him and started attacking it with devilish intensity. Cassius let out half-choked sounds as that cluster of nerves were assailed relentlessly.

Bors used all the knowledge he’d gleaned while alive, fondling Cassius’ balls while turning his body against him by hitting that nub over and over again. If his plan was to work he needed Cassius writhing in pleasure. “Look at how good you’re feeling on my cock, Cass, you sound so fucking sexy.” His own voice cracked in pleasure yet he pushed on. “If my cock can make you feel this way, imagine how amazing my _ass_ is.”

Cursing under his breath, Cassius’ hips rocked viciously before he came explosively, filling his husband’s mouth and milking Bors’ own orgasm right out of him.

The boy sobbed and twisted behind the Court Physician, whimpering at the overwhelming and dizzying pleasure rocketing through his body. He was so out of it, so content, that he was so unprepared for Cassius to shove him away that he stumbled and fell onto the floor. Bors blinked, a moment’s panic filling him that he’d push too hard, gone too far, and that only increased when Cassius turned to storm towards him, and yet instead of kicking him as Bors had expected, Cassius pounced on him, pinning him to the floor seconds before his lips found Bors and his own cock slammed its way inside of him.

A shudder of shocked delight rippled throughout Bors’s whole body as Cassius gave him no time to grow used to his form, instead immediately ramming himself into him with animalistic ferocity. Behind him Bors could see two men fighting over who could take Lancelot’s mouth now that Cassius wasn’t there, but the boy quickly forgot all about Lancelot as Cassius assaulted him into unbelievable pleasure.

“How needy has this little hole of yours been, Bors?” Cassius’ voice was low in his ear. “Has no one been paying it any attention?”

“ _No_ ,” Bors whimpered in response, clawing his fingers into Cassius’ back.

“How _surprising_ ,” Cassius rumbled in his ear oddly. “Lance and I were _so sure_ Arthur was letting Merlin play with you.”

“S’not like that.” Bors groaned breathily and threw his head back as pleasure coiled rapidly in his core. “Y-you’re the f-first in a v-very long time.”

Cassius froze above him and pulled away enough to stare down at him oddly. “You should have said something sooner.” The older man then leaned back down and kissed Bors once more, and yet like his thrusts it was now deeper and slower. It was clear that, as Court Physician, he knew the taxation this could have on a body not used to it anymore, and as such was moving in a way which would not only give Bors’ body time to grow used to the penetration, but be pleasurable at the same time.

Not for the first time Bors felt resentment that Cassius had already been taken by the time he’d come to the Court, but as always he bottled it up and didn’t allow it to show as he merely clung on to the man and allowed himself to be fucked into. He whimpered and clawed, and when he couldn’t take it any longer, he begged Cassius to fuck him harder, without mercy.

Cassius complied, returning to his savagery as he took the boy until Bors sobbed out Cassius’ name and came, his orgasm milking the man’s seed from him.

Like before, pleasure left him disoriented, as did the relief that even though he’d already cum Cassius wasn’t leaving him. Bors keened as Cassius rolled them over so that he was on his back on the floor, cock still hard and deep inside of Bors, who lay on top of him with no intention of leaving.

“You sure took your time,” Cassius chuckled darkly.

Bors was confused but didn’t lift his head from where he rested with his cheek against Cassius’ rapidly beating heart.

“Can you blame me?” Lancelot wanted to know in an odd tone from behind them, his voice surprising Bors into flinching and tensing over Cassius, which Lancelot did not seem to notice as he continued speaking to his husband. “First I had to get rid of some really annoying gnats… and then… _gods below_.” Suddenly Lancelot’s breath was on the back of Bors’ neck. “You’ve been a very bad boy, Bors.”

A shiver of surprise raced down Bors’ body at the shocking lust in that tone, as well as the rough fingertip he could feel trailing its way down his spine to caress where his body was stretched around Cassius. Not only didn’t Lancelot seem incredibly pissed at what Bors had done, but he appeared—.

Bors’ eyes flew open and his body would’ve arched off of Cassius’ if the Court Physician hadn’timmediately pinned him against him. The boy stared down at the older man in shocked confusion before closing his eyes and groaning when he felt it again. Lancelot’s tongue lapped at where Cassius’ body not only joined Bors’, but was starting to move inside of him again. It was confusing and overwhelming, that tongue not only salivating on them, but the sound of spitting proving Lancelot was trying to better lubricate him.

“What—?” Bors whimpered.

“Now now, Bors,” Cassius chuckled in his ear as he continued to thrust into him, one arm around him tightly, keeping him pinned to him, and the other not only squeezing the boy’s asscheeks but clearly filling him with magic of some sort through the touch. Whatever that magic was, it warmed Bors’ body and made him tingle. “You heard Lancelot, you’ve been naughty. Don’t you know what happens to boys who misbehave?” He smiled. “They get punished.”

A jolt of desire rocketed through Bors’ body at those words, his voice uneven when he asked: “You’re going to punish me?”

“ _Yesssssss_.” It was Lancelot who answered, his voice muffled from where he lavished all his attention on Bors’ stretched entrance. “We’re going to be really hard on you, Bors,” he promised in a lustful tone. “We’re going to make you cry.”

A choked sob escaped Bors’ lips when Cassius throbbed inside of him at that. The boy started to work on his own body the way he had Cassius’ earlier, realizing that Lancelot had to be lubricating him for a reason.

Lancelot rose and shifted to settle over Bors’ back, angling his own cock at the already stretched hole. He groaned, his arms trembling slightly as he brushed his cockhead against Bors teasingly. “How does he feel, Cass?”

“ _So good_ ,” Cassius assured him throatily with a grin. “You’re going to love it.”

“Yeah?” Lancelot rocked his hips as he breathed heavily into Bors’ hair.

“Yeah…” Cassius had shifted his hold onto Bors’ legs now that Lancelot’s weight trapped the boy between them. “Spread your legs, Bors,” he ordered throatily as he used his grip on them to do so himself. “Did you not promise me your ass would give me pleasure tonight?”

Bors’ lips parted yet all that emerged from them then was a garbled groan as Lancelot took that opportunity to start easing himself in besides his husband. The boy’s body tensed and his eyes widened as his body burned, yet before he could sob out at the discomfort Lancelot gripped his chin and forced his head back, capturing his lips in his. If that had been intended as a distraction it had worked, Bors’ eyes wider than before as Lancelot’s tongue invaded his mouth the same way his cock started to work its way inside of him.

This was not the first time Bors had taken more than one man inside of him, and yet it had been a very long time ago, and it was the first in this new form of his. He relaxed as best he could, lubricating himself more, thicker, as he pushed backwards. While it hurt a little there was a tingling in his balls that made him groan into Lancelot’s mouth, and then Cassius’ own started to suck on his neck, and Bors sobbed out.

“You’re doing so good, Bors,” Cassius whispered into his skin as his husband’s cock brushed slowly against his as Lancelot continued to ease his way inside of the boy trapped between the both of them. “Relax yourself a little bit more… I do not know how much longer I can hold off on moving.”

The hunger in that tone rocketed through Bors, and he was unable to deny it was the reason Lancelot groaned throatily into his mouth when Bors’ body opened up so completely he was finally able to bury himself in him to the hilt. In seconds Lancelot tore his mouth from Bors’ and breathed heavily into his hair, his whole body tense, clearly fight every urge of his to just start thrusting.

Since neither was moving Bors did, and then he almost immediately shivered at the sounds the men let out as Lancelot rested nearly all his weight on Bors’ back, the men’s mouths showering attention on opposite sides of his neck.

“ _Good boy_ ,” Lancelot whimpered against his skin, voice breaking as Bors moved once more, slowly establishing a rhythm as he moved between them. “ _Casssssssss_ …”

“ _I know_ ,” Cass groaned as he reached up to caress Lancelot’s hair lovingly. “I can feel your cock so hard against mine, baby. You really like this, don’t you?”

“ _Yesssss_ ,” Lancelot hiccuped a cry as he threaded his fingers through his husband’s. “ _It’s so good_.” He nuzzled his face in Bors’ hair. “Does it feel good for you too? Bors? Do you like having our cocks so impatient to be inside of you they can’t wait their turn?”

A guttural cry escaped Bors’ lips as desire heightened within him and his movements turned more rapid at those words. While he could not vocalize his pleasure into intelligible words he nodded firmly and pressed back harder, grunting at the painful burn that still managed to tingle deep within.

“I—-I cannot take it anymore,” Lancelot apologized before grabbing Bors’ hips and slamming home, the action quickly followed by Cassius’ whimpered curse and mimicked action.

A choked sound caught in Bors’ throat as Cassius and Lancelot moved inside of him, filling him incredibly and burning him deep within with each movement. And yet trying to escape never even crossed his mind as his toes curled and sounds he’d deny ever letting out were thrusted out of him with each and every slam of their hips.

One of them came, and in his delirious state Bors wasn’t sure which one. All he knew for sure was that with the seed filling him the thrusts became smoother, and the husbands finally established a rhythm inside of him that was both oddly soothing and incredibly stimulating. The boy sobbed openly as those cocks brushed against each other inside of him to wreck havoc on his core.

“ ** _Fuck OFF_**.” Lancelot’s voice was low and dangerous

Bors flinched in confusion only to tilt his head in time to see one of the lords skulking away, clearly unhappy. He quickly forgot about the surprising sight when Cassius took the opportunity to bite into his neck before Lancelot did the same, the men’s teeth keeping him in place just as surely as their bodies did as they fucked into him harder. It was all Bors could do to keep from screaming as he felt a savage sort of pleasure building within him, coiling tighter and tighter as both men used him for their joint pleasure.

Lancelot started to utter little broken sounds into Bors’ neck, his thrusts growing sharper, quicker.

Cassius stopped thrusting and unclenched his teeth from Bors’ neck, arousal dark on his face as he looked between them. “You close, baby?”

Another whimper escaped Lancelot’s mouth as he nodded yet didn’t unclench his teeth, instead biting in deeper.

“ _Gods below_ ,” Cassius growled with a rumbled chuckle. “You both look so beautiful like this. Lance, you should see his face, it’s twisted in so much pleasure.” He reached up and brushed his thumb over Bors’ parted lips. “Does it feel good, boy? Is Lance’s cock making you feel all tingly inside?”

“Y-yessss,” Bors whimpered, only to sob out when Lancelot keened at those words and started to thrust even rougher and quicker, so very obviously close to finding completion. “H-hurts but good.”

When Lancelot visibly tried to go slower, softer, at the ‘hurts’, Cassius reached up with his free hand and began gripping at his husband’s ass. “Don’t stop, baby, I want to see the both of you as he takes your first load. I don’t want to miss a second of you finally being able to give Bors your seed.” His thumb continued to molest Bors’ parted lips, dipping into the boy’s opened mouth and groaning when Bors suckled on it happily. “Do you want something in here, Bors? You look like your mouth is feeling lonely.” He grinned darkly. “I’ll have to think of some way to help you with that problem since tonight you are solely ours to play with as many times as we want.”

Cassius’ words, and Lancelot's very obviously growing closer and closer to losing himself at them, made Bors clench around the husbands, drawing groans from them both as his ass massaged and teased their cocks.

“Oh… oh he _likes_ that…” Cassius chuckled throatily as he slipped his thumb out from between Bors’ lips. “Do you _want_ Lancelot’s seed, boy? Do you want him to gush deep inside your tight body and have his lifestream mixing with mine inside of you?”

A tremor raced down Bors’ body, his voice strained and surprisingly needy even to himself when he whimpered: “ _Yessssssss_.” He relaxed his ass as best as he could while reaching back with one hand to caress Lancelot’s hip. “ _Please_ , Lancelot. _Please_.”

Lancelot was shaking, his hips slamming harder and harder, his teeth still clenched so his voice was muffled when he asked: “Please… _what,_ Bors?”

He was a bit embarrassed yet surprisingly found himself eager despite the fact that he’d never really thought much about Lancelot up until this point. “Spill your warmth inside of me.”

Letting out the sounds of a wounded animal, Lancelot shocked the boy with how instantaneously he found orgasm at those words. “ _Oh Bors_ …” Lancelot groaned heavily as he kissed and sucked and licked at his neck and the side of his face. “Do you like that? Mine is joining Cassius’ inside of you. You’re our little bitch now, Bors. We’re going to give you so much loving. You want that, right? You want us to mess you up?”

“Yessssssssss!” Bors groaned in shock at Lancelot’s dirty tone.

“Oh, Bors, you’re trembling so deep inside,” Lancelot breathed into his ear as he began to move again. “You like it that much? Are you going to cum around both our cocks just at the thought of us playing with you?”

Cassius chuckled and began to move inside of him once more, rubbing his cock against Lancelot’s. “I think he does. I think Bors _likes_ the idea of us giving him our undivided attention.”

Bors was finding it harder and harder to breathe as his body grew closer and closer to its own completion.

“Does _Sophia_ like the sound of it too?” Lancelot whispered hotly into Bors’ ear. “Is she as wet for us as you are?”

He came, sobbing and crying out unintelligible words. The only reason his pride was not irrevocably damaged was how his orgasm affected _them_ , causing both men to curse and thrust mercilessly into him, fucking him through his climax. A hazy pleasure descended on him as a loud-pitched whine deafened him for a second, and Bors realized he must’ve blacked out because the next thing he knew he was hanging over Cassius’ shoulder, the man walking resolutely while ramming his fingers repeatedly into Bors’ soppy hole. Behind them was Lancelot, who was stroking himself while kissing Bors’ lips, somehow keeping in pace with them.

Disorientation left Bors somewhat confused, which made him a little scared when suddenly he was thrown off of Cassius’ shoulder, only to thankfully bounce on a bed seconds before the sound of a door swinging shut and locked could be heard. He tried to make sense of where he was but Lancelot followed him onto the bed and kissed him deeply, rubbing their cocks together as he grabbed fistfuls of Bors’ hair, as if afraid he was about to make a run for it and refusing to allow it. It was thanks to this grip that when Lancelot shifted in bed Bors followed suit, kissing Lancelot and swallowing his groans as their slippery cocks brushed against each other pleasurably.

Rolling onto his back, Lancelot wordlessly encouraged Bors to settle between his thighs, his breaths loud and desirous.

Bors noticed Cassius seated in the corner of the room, watching them with open hunger on his face as he stroked himself. That, coupled with Lancelot’s slutty cries of complaint under him, were enough to dispel most of the disorientation as he pressed his hardening cock against Lancelot’s hole.

A smirk touched his lips when Lancelot sobbed at the touch and arched into it wantonly.

“You’re acting like such a little whore right now, Lancelot,” Bors teased as he pressed in with his hips, slipping his cock’s head into Lancelot’s warmth. “Weren’t you just inside of me not too long ago getting off on the idea of filling me with your seed?” He settled over Lancelot’s body, not pressing in any further, instead sucking and nibbling at the older man’s neck. “I liked you like that, but I like you better like this.” He sucked a mark on his chest. “I think you do too. I think you like Cassius watching as your slutty little hole gets taken.”

“ _Borssssssss_ ,” Lancelot whined as he shifted under him.

“Tell him,” Bors ordered into Lancelot’s ear as he pushed in a little more, but only a little, and smirked at Lancelot’s loud complaint. “Tell Cassius how much you want my cock inside of you right now.”

“Casssss.” Lancelot dug his fingertips into Bors’ back while angling his own hips so as to force a little more of that cock inside. “I want his cock inside of me right now.”

“I know you do, baby,” Cass purred as he stroked himself. “I know how much you really want this. I want it too. I really do. You look so beautiful, baby, the both of you do. I can’t wait to see you dripping with his seed.”

Bors’ hips betrayed him as he bucked, burying himself in Lancelot with one thrust. The sound the older man was making was one human Bors’ should’ve made while ‘working’ because, damn it, Bors nearly came because of it. Lancelot was also a sight to behold, and Bors could only now understand why there’d been a veritable _mob_ gathered around him. Even after all of the lords had taken turns Lancelot was still somewhat tight. Sure, he was loose enough that Bors could easily fill him with one thrust, and yet the First Knight was clenching around him, drawing him in deeper. Bors sobbed, resting fully on Lancelot and kissing him as the tanned beauty beneath him massaged him expertly. The man lowered his hands to grab Bors’ asscheeks and force him deeper inside of him before slipping his middle finger into Bors and continuing to massage him yet in a different way entirely.

“ _Gods below!”_ Cassius groaned at the sight as the sound of his self-stroking grew faster.

Someone tried to open the door, only to find it locked, seconds before something hit the door loudly, and then there were squeaked sobs as whoever had been trying to find a room decided the door would be good enough. There were multiple men chuckling and cheering while one voice whimpered and sobbed throatily, clearly the center of attention of some very impatient men.

“You wish that was you, don’t you?” Bors hissed into Lancelot’s ear, chuckling at the gooseflesh that betrayed his reaction to those words. “You wish you were surrounded by men again, you love being the center of attention, don’t you, Lancelot? Love having all those cocks fighting to be inside of you.” He thrusted long and hard, not as fast as the knight might have wanted, but making sure to go as deep as he could with each roll of his hips. “If you were like Arthur you’d be pregnant by now.”

Lancelot sobbed, slipping his finger from inside of Bors to wrap both arms around the boy seconds before his legs did as well.

It was all Bors could do to stave off his own approaching climax. “Gods below, Lancelot, you _want_ to be like Arthur, don’t you?” His own voice was breaking as his thrusts sped up. “Who knows… maybe with Arthur’s first heat coinciding with the Dark Week… maybe with the Ley lines coming from their source now…” He leaned in closer to whisper. “Maybe, given all of those magical variants, you _will_ get pregnant.” He groaned at the way Lancelot tightened uncontrollably around him at those words. “Shall we make a little brother or sister for Lucan?” And then he cursed and came when Lancelot did, the man’s body expertly milking him once more in a shockingly natural way.

“ _CAAAAASSSSSSSSS_!” Lancelot screamed as he threw his head back.

“Already here, love,” Cassius assured him seconds before the bed dipped behind Bors and the redhead felt the larger man move behind him. “If we’re going to give Lucan a sibling I should definitely be involved.” He settled on his knees behind Bors and curled into him, kissing his neck and wrapping his arms around him, easing the boy backwards and trapping him against his chest so he couldn’t escape being penetrated by the man’s trembling, leaking cock.

Bors threw his head back and reached back to dig his nails into Cassius’ hips when the man shifted them. With how tightly they were pressed together Bors’ body was forced to move with Cassius', and he groaned in pleasure at this deep, unyielding fuck. Cassius’ thrusts were torturously slow but deep, very similar to Bors’ own rhythm previously, and the boy would’ve arched instinctively if Cassius’ iron-like grip had allowed it. How it was though, he was held prisoner on the man’s lap, completely speared by his cock and body being slowly taken and claimed from the inside.

The second Lancelot shifted backwards, fully impaling himself on Bors once more and using the force of his body’s weight to pin the boy ruthlessly between them, Bors’ eyes rolled in their sockets at the overwhelming sensation that attacked his senses as the husbands used him for their pleasure. He was immobile between them, unable to do anything but caress the parts of their bodies he could reach while they moved him between them. Lancelot’s body was warm and amazing and squeezed Bors’ cock expertly, keeping him raging hard, while Cassius’ cock claimed every inch of Bors’ insides, teasing his cluster of nerves with every other thrust, the Court Physician clearly using his knowledge of the human body to keep Bors on the verge of climax.

Lancelot’s cock was sopping wet, and it gushed more pre-cum when Bors wrapped his hand around it, beginning to stroke the older man, who sobbed out at the touch. The redhead planned then and there to suck the knight into crying literal tears later on, but for now Bors contented himself with stroking Lancelot’s member and enjoying the way the man started to lose all control at the touch. Cassius seemed to think Bors was paying too much attention to Lancelot because he bit into his cheek, using that grip to ease Bors’ face towards his, and only letting go once Bors was positioned enough so that Cassius could claim his mouth the same way that his cock was the boy’s body.

Reaching backwards to cup the back of Cassius’ head with his hand, Bors was completely overwhelmed with sensations. He didn’t let up on stroking Lancelot, using the knight’s own slickness to ease the motion, all the while relaxing his ass so as to allow Cassius to fuck deeper into him, and in turn fuck him deeper into Lancelot.

Tearing his mouth from Bors’, Cassius breathed heavily in his ear. “I’m going to cum inside of you, boy.”

A shiver of desire raced through Bors all the way to his cock, which twitched roughly.

Lancelot through his head and and keened. “Again, Cass, make him do that again!”

Cassius chuckled darkly into Bors’ ear as he sucked on his earlobe. “I’m going to stay inside of you all night along. No matter how many times you faint from overstimulation we’ll just keeping tupping you.”

Bors’ body was on fire from the threat, his balls tightening, warning him once more just how close he was. “ _Lancelot_ … I am really close to—.“

Lancelot gripped fistfuls of the sheets and began to move his hips faster.

“Your holes and cock are ours tonight, boy,” Cassius grunted, clearly not only affected by the dark promise in his own words but most definitely close himself. “We’re going to use you however we want.”

Bors bit down on his bottom lip to try and muffle his keen seconds before he grabbed Lancelot by his hips and visibly surprised the knight by using this grip to slam his hips into him. “I’m going to fuck a baby into you, Lancelot,” he threatened.

Lancelot and Cassius both came undone in the same darkly wild way which not only took Bors completely off-guard, but triggered his own climax so strongly he blacked out again. That would not be the last time he blacked out that night, and, as promised, Lancelot and Cassius showed no mercy.

Best. Fucking. Dark. Moon. _EVER_.

* * *

 

Merlin’s dragon’s wings were obsidian black, smooth, with not a hint of a scale. They also had several talons that jutted out slightly from the joints which supported the wings’ flexible membranes. Those talons were currently dug deep into the cave ground beneath them, not only covering Arthur in their shade but quite effectively caging him in.

While the sentiment was appreciated, the fear of him trying to escape was laughable. Not only was Arthur very much here of his own free will, as well as still securely knotted, but he would probably very much try to murder the dragon if it stopped. It kept making him crawl all over their expanded room on his hands as knees while it remained inside and above him, and only after it found an appropriate new place would it finally return to breeding him.

Either it was marking territory, or it was just kinky as hell - either way Arthur was more than happy to oblige. At the moment he was head-down and ass-up, squeezing his thighs as closely together as he could and brushing them against each other, glorying in the whimpered groans the dragon made above him at this. The knot made them both incredibly sensitive, and Arthur had been spending this time not only allowing his torturous burn to be assuage by his mate’s rutting, but finding different little ticks and tricks to his lover’s new form.

Claw and scale covered hands caressed Arthur’s stomach, which was not only bulged with the cock inside of him, but with the amount of seed his dragon had continuously filled him with. It sobbed and whimpered, it licked his neck and the side of his face, clearly not only fascinated by the feel of him like this, but incredibly turned on. This side of Merlin didn’t want to stop until Arthur was pregnant, and that knowledge only intensified the pleasured need that the heat continuously rocketed throughout his body mercilessly.

The talons on the ends of the wings slipped free from the ground only to slam back in. They did it again. And again. And again. Arthur wasn’t exactly sure what that meant but the vibrations were starting to seep up his body through his knees and journey up his thighs to where they were connected. The vibrations grew harder and harder until the dragon’s cock was vibrating inside of him, and Arthur howled brokenly, arching his back as the pleasure made him weak at the knees. It only got worse - better - worse - better - more intense, with the vibrations shaking Arthur as well until every part of him was vibrating as well. That conical, spiraled cockhead tickled something deep inside of him.

Arthur sobbed as he came, his groans muffled by the cave floor as pleasure rippled out of him like waves. The dragon had stopped slamming its talons in and was instead slamming itself as hard as the knot would allow, the force strong enough to scrape Arthur’s knees as his body punted forwards.

At the scent of his blood the dragon roared and those wings flapped, gaining traction before the dragon took off, its grip around Arthur’s body and its knot in his ass keeping him in place as they rose into the air. They were flying. They were _flying_. And yet, while he would no doubt look back at this in wonder, right now Arthur was overwhelmed by the way the dragon took advantage of this position, of Arthur’s utter helplessness as he hung in in grip, and used it to fuck into him harder.

Those wings flapped ever so often, keeping them in the air, and every time they did so the movement jerked Arthur viciously into the massive cock seated inside of him, forcing it in deeper even. He bit down on his bottom lip to quiet his groans and yet one slipped, and he knew the second the dragon realized it because suddenly it started to flap in earnest, merely using its hold to keep Arthur in place and allow gravity and momentum to do the fucking for it as it flapped its wings in earnest.

 ** _Mate trusts dragon. Not scared of flying._** The pleased thoughts rumbled in his head as the flapping continued. **_Too full. Must wait. Must give only pleasure. Once smaller again can give more seed_**.

It would seem arousal wasn’t the only reason the dragon kept fondling his stomach, but worry was clearly there as well.

Arthur clenched himself around him lover provokingly.

The dragons’ rumble turned panicked. **_Must not. Stay strong._**

The blonde was having none of that as he circled his hips.

Forward momentum stopping immediately, the dragon’s wings continued to flap to keep them airborne as it whined and whimpered, clearly trying to remain strong as its mate used its body against it to try. The dragon sounded tortured as it gripped at him, nuzzling the side of his face and bucking its nose into his cheek in a clearly pleading manner.

Ignoring the pleading, Arthur not only squeezed around his lover tightly, but he rubbed his thighs together.

Roaring, the dragon snapped, shooting forwards as the momentum of each flap drove Arthur aggressively onto the cock spearing him. The dragon rose and dipped, made circles in the air as it slammed deeper and deeper into him, that knot hardening, warning Arthur of what was to come.

 ** _Mate desires seed. Mate strong. Mate will not break._** The rumbled thoughts returned feverishly. **_Rut mate. Don’t stop. Never stop. Fill mate more._**

“Yes…….” Arthur groaned in approval. “More, my love, give me more.”

The dragon did.

* * *

 

It would appear that her son’s mating with his mate was affecting the land just as much as the Dark Moon was, if not more. She’d sent her servants throughout what they were telling her was being referred to as Dragonhold, the denizens of Cambria not only feeding but bringing her back news from all over the kingdom. It would appear that Avalon and those of what had been Daobeth were also affected, and were mixing with the humans. It would also appear that even those in the ‘safe’ zones were being affected somewhat, even if to a _much_ smaller degree than those outside of it.

It would also appear that the men of Dragonhold, especially those who did not belong to what had once been Mercia and Escetia (or were not her son’s dark puppets), were getting the stuffing tupped out of them. Her spies informed her that those men clearly hadn’t expected to be the ones being tupped, but that with each wave of power that rippled out from the ley lines connected to the Heart of Darkness, they seemed to care less and less.

The queen whimpered and threw her head back as she used the knees she had dug into the mattress to raise and lower herself onto the magically formed phallus. Pleasure curled her toes but she refused to admit just how amazing this felt, especially since Hunith was honestly getting far too full of herself lately. When the brunette had activated the magic in the necklace she always wore the queen had been shocked, she’d never seen magic crafted in this way before, and she’d been very conflicted when Hunith admitted that Balinor had crafted this for her to appease her so she could ‘fully enjoy herself’. The queen doubted Balinor had ever suspected that the magic he’d crafted to temporarily give his wife a cock would someday be used for his wife to fuck his mistress.

“Stop thinking about him,” Hunith ordered throatily as she pressed kisses up the valley of her breasts.

“I’m not,” she lied breathlessly.

Hunith gripped her knees and yanked them further apart, causing her to yowl as she slipped and roughly impaled herself on her cock. The brunette then let go to press down on her hips as she began to fuck into her. “You’re amazing inside, Su,” she praised into her hair. “You feel like silk.”

The queen sobbed and hid her face in Hunith’s neck.

“Let me cum inside of you,” Hunith whispered into her hair. “Can I?”

 _Of course not!_ She pulled away to say that but her words were sealed by Hunith’s lips, and the queen could only hold on and mewl as those thrusts grew rougher. Her clawed fingers dug into Hunith’s hair as she rolled her hips desperately, instinctively, filling herself with Hunith rougher and rougher. Her breaths were groans which grew higher in pitch the closer she felt the brunette to filling her, and when she finally did, the succubus screamed into her mouth as it triggered her own orgasm. She clenched around Hunith and kissed her harder, gripping her hair viciously as she rode her long and hard.

Finally she collapsed against Hunith, breathing just as hard as the brunette, both tired.

Another wave of arousal rippled through them.

Honestly, did their son never _rest_?

She opened her mouth to huff that question when she suddenly found herself under Hunith, whosealed her words away with her mouth once more and started to move within her.

Pleasure burned through her, so instead of slapping the tireless brunette, the queen pulled her closer and met those thrusts with loud, wanton cries which were swallowed by Hunith’s hungry mouth.

* * *

 

Arthur wasn’t sure whether they had a bed, but they had a _nest_.

It was also incredibly comfortable as well.

The dragon had taken him on it, filling Arthur more and more, until finally tiredness had caught up with them.

Even then, however, the dragon slept on his back with Arthur straddling his body, still connected to him and knotted. The dragon’s wings were wrapped around them protectively, which was incredibly sweet and sexy at the same time.

In this position Arthur was better able to see Dragon!Merlin despite the darkness cast by the wings. Like with the demon his features were sharper, a hint of the inhuman on them, and of course when open his eyes would reveal pools of black with reptile pupils the same blue as his human eyes. His face had a scattering of scales around his cheekbones but was otherwise untouched, with the rest of his body being more densely covered by them. They were as smooth as his wings, and no matter where Arthur licked the taste was as amazing as when he’d worshipped his hand.

While Arthur wanted to taste more, his body was incredibly full and was probably what was forcing the sensation of sleep onto him. He needed to rest, his body needed to absorb some of the seed it’d collected, and his dragon needed to gather up more strength for when Arthur knew his heat would wake him up needing more.

Pressing a kiss to Merlin’s heart, Arthur closed his eyes and smiled as he fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is enjoying the New Year!

The first thing Arthur noticed as he eased awake was the fact that he was warm and very much at ease, his body relaxed and tingly. The second thing he noticed was that he was no longer breached by Merlin, and had shifted from lying on top of his lover to lying at his side, facing Merlin, who was most definitely awake. The third thing he noticed was the way Merlin had his arms wrapped around Arthur, and while the boy sleep with his face pressed into Merlin’s chest, the man was rubbing and caressing his back softly so as not to wake him up. And finally, the fourth and last thing that he noticed, was the fact that those hands were not clawed and had no scales, meaning the dragon must’ve become exhausted and slipped back under, allowing Merlin control once more.

There was not one bit of seduction in the touch, instead there was clear love and adoration. Soft kisses were pressed into Arthur’s hair every couple of moments, with Merlin breathing in his scent and sighing contentedly. It was clear that his lover had been doing this for a while now, and while Arthur could feel the way his heat was already starting to rear its head, it wasn’t so much in response to their closeness, but to Merlin’s obvious devotion. It made him wonder - even as the heat began to clench in his stomach - whether the heat was a physically or mentally driven phenomena. Maybe it was a mixture of both. Either way, he hadn’t awoken with the need to be joined with Merlin, but upon feeling the caresses, and being able to sense his mate’s affection, the heat had returned viciously.

“Did I wake you up?” Merlin asked softly into his hair.

“No.” Arthur snuggled in closer and breathed in a deep whiff of his mate’s scent, which only made the desire coil more painfully in the pit of his stomach. He brushed the tip of his toeagainst Merlin’s foot slowly. “Have you been awake very long?”

“I have been awake for a while now, yes,” he admitted happily as his fingertips tickled their way up and down Arthur’s spine. “With how crazy things have been for what seems like years now we have not been able to sleep late and wake up like this. It is always either that we’ve stayed up researching or questing or warring or trying to establish a kingdom… and then have to wake up early to return to doing the same thing.” He pressed a kiss to the crown of Arthur’s head as he shifted closer, curling in around the boy and holding him closer as he rested his chin on those golden locks. “I missed this to an insane degree.”

Heart just as warm as his body, Arthur smiled. “Of course you did. Not _everyone_ has Arthur Pendragon in their bed. You are lucky.”

Merlin snickered into his hair. “Very true, although I would reassess your definition of a ‘bed’ if I were you. This is a _nest_.” He chuckled in amusement. “While I like this nest more than I thought I would, I do hope we still have a bed because I really do like ours.”

“It’s in one of the other chambers,” Arthur informed him with a little shiver of enjoyment at the brush of those fingertips. He eased himself closer and closer so that he was pressed completely against his mate. “Maybe not the actual bed, it had to go, but the wolf fur has been cleaned and there is _something_ that will be our bed there.”

“Why did the bed have to go?” Merlin asked curiously, not seeming very bothered by this revelation, just intrigued.

“Mordred slept on that bed,” Arthur informed him truthfully, not really seeing a reason to hide his motivation. “I refused to get rid of your wolf fur - I love it too much and there are too many memories I have tied to it - but the bed itself had to go.”

While he no longer saw his younger brother as a rival of any sort he did not like the idea of sleeping on a bed which had been corrupted by Mordred’s presence. Merlin and Arthur were starting a new life together, a new form of existence, and the boy wanted nothing around that might remind Merlin of other men or women who had managed to get their claws into him either before Arthur met him, or during that terrible separation.

“I am sorry,” Merlin whispered, surprising him with that apology. “You have had to put up with a lot from me. Because of that I could understand when you said you wished we’d never met. A part of me would understand it if a part of _you_ still felt that way.”

For a moment Arthur had no idea what in the world Merlin was talking about, because while he’d gone through a ridiculous amount of frustration due to his difficult mate Arthur had never actually wished that they’d never met, the closest to that he’d ever gotten was wishing that they’d met under different circumstances. It took a couple of seconds of wracking his brain for him to finally remember the conversation Merlin was referencing, and when he did Arthur groaned as he pressed his face into Merlin in embarrassment, his voice muffled when he mumbled out: “I never actually meant that. I wanted to hurt you like I was hurting. I lashed out at you because I knew you would let me get away with it. I did that a lot back then - taking my frustration out on you. It’s something I’m not proud of, especially since I still do it sometimes despite the fact that I really _am_ trying to change that.”

“It’s okay for you to take your frustrations out on me,” Merlin assured him as he held him tighter, his heart racing against Arthur’s cheek. “I want your everything, Arthur, even the bad. And, if I’m being completely honest with you, if you took your frustration out on someone else I’d probably get jealous.”

Lips twitching in amusement at that, Arthur chuckled. “You are a real pain in the ass, you know that right?”

“Am I?” Merlin asked in mock innocence as the finger he’d been running up and down Arthur’s spine shifted to slide up the incline of his ass only to dip into the valley between his asscheeks and slip into Arthur’s sore yet eager hole.

Making a sound that was guttural and needy, Arthur arched his hips and pushed back, burying that digit in deeper. “I feel so empty, Merlin.”

“Empty, love?” Merlin pressed a series of kisses to his head and forehead. “You only just managed to absorb all of the dragon’s seed. I can see from the state of your body that it was merciless on you. Just relax and let me spoil you.”

“Did you black out with it the way you used to with the demon?” Arthur whimpered as Merlin worked another finger in his loosened passage and used magic to reach in deeper so as to play with Arthur’s insides masterfully.

“Yes. I think it will take a while for me to find cohesion with my dragon the way I finally managed to with my demon,” Merlin admitted softly. “It is a new part of me, I must learn to understand it before that can even begin.”

“What helped you cohere with the demon?” Arthur bit down on his bottom lip to muffle his groan when those fingertips brushed against sensitive places deep within him.

“You.”

The boy blinked in surprise and shifted his body, arching his back so he could stare up into his mate’s face. “ _Me_?”

A soft smile was tilting those lips up, adoration plain on Merlin’s face. “You will never understand the impact you’ve had on me, nor how important you are to every aspect of me, or how much your presence has changed or molded my life.” He leaned down to press a kiss to Arthur’s lips which started off as a peck but ended up with Merlin slipping his tongue into Arthur’s mouth and chuckling in pleasure when Arthur whimpered as he throbbed immediately between their stomachs. 

Trailing his hands up Merlin’s chest, Arthur wrapped them around his mate’s neck, smiling into the kiss when Merlin purred in response. He used Merlin’s distraction to ease his mate onto his back and straddle him, a groan of complain being issued when Merlin kept him from pressing down harder and taking that cock inside of him. Immediately Arthur’s body protested by clenching tightly around nothing, threatening to once more torture Arthur into those empty climaxes he’d quickly grown to despise.

Tearing his lips from his mate’s, Arthur stared down at him with a pleading frown. “Merlin… it _hurts_ …”

A sigh escaped Merlin’s lips as he reached up to cup Arthur’s cheek. “I am so sorry you have to go through this, my love. I feel as if it is my fault that you are suffering so.”

“Merlin.” Arthur licked his lips and flattened his palm against Merlin’s chest so as to prop himself up. “When I discovered you were the Devil’s Hound, and that you thought I had tried to kill you…” It still hurt him and gave him a moment’s panic to remember that day, to recall how many events had hinged on that one moment. It also made him sick at the stomach to recall such a dark time in his life as he’d gone from believing he’d been responsible for his lover’s death - to being devastated at the realization that he was utterly despised by the man who meant the world to him.

“Don’t think about those—-.”

“No. You need to hear this.” Arthur took in a deep breath as he dug his fingertips into Merlin’s chest, meeting his eyes. “After I realized you would not believe me, would not even listen to me, after I understood that you truly hated me… I went to Nimueh and I ordered her to make a love potion for me.” He saw the shock race over Merlin’s face and the way his lover froze under him, and it made him a little nervous, but he hurried on. “I ordered her to brew something that would not only make you no longer hate me, but be obsessed with me, to love me fiercely, and to be unable to live without me.”

Merlin looked like he was having problems breathing, and yet he took in a very heavy, very forced breath, and rubbed his thumb against Arthur’s cheek. When he spoke, it was soft. “And you think her potion is the reason I love you the way I do?” He shook his head with a heavy sigh. “Arthur, Nimueh was not strong enough to be able to affect me. If her killing curse couldn’t leave a mark on me then any sort of love or manipulation based spell or potion would’ve had even _less_ of an—-.”

“I know that. She told me that. That’s not the point I’m making.” Frustration colored his words as he glared down at Merlin. “Shut up and let me finish, idiot cambion.”

Visibly intrigued, Merlin nodded silently that he would do so.

“Nimueh made a comment on how I was more like my father than I even realized, but I didn’t pay much attention to it, I even forgot about it, until we saw that vision of our grandfathers in Daobeth.” He cleared his throat, a little uncomfortable with where he knew this conversation had to go. Not because he felt guilty of his actions, but because he liked Merlin not having a clue as to how devious he actually was or what he was actually capable of. “I talked it over with Sophia while your magic was fixing our chambers, and it makes sense. My father used a love potion to make my mother love him, it was why she still loved him despite the fact that many times I could see that she wished she didn’t.” He took in a deep breath, still trying to get over the fact that Nimueh had been right: he _was_ more like his father than he’d ever truly realized. “Sophia believes it might also be part of the reason why mother had so many problems conceiving a child, because for a potion such as that to be _permanent_ \- since she said most of those types of potions are temporary so you’d have to continuously administer them or something like that - it would have to draw from very dark magic. And as with all dark magics, she said that it would require a price to be paid.”

“Love potions are dark magic in and of themselves,” Merlin admitted, interrupting once more despite having said he wouldn’t. “They rob someone of their free will, so they are considered some of the darkest magics out there.”

“Sophia explained that.” Arthur figured he should be annoyed at the interruption but found himself too determined to say this to let anyone or anything - his emotions included - interfere. “Even if I had known all of that, had Nimueh been strong enough to make that potion, I still would have had her do so for me.”

Merlin blinked, clearly surprised at that revelation.

Arthur pushed on before he could lose his nerve. “You need to understand that while we did not have a fairy tale beginning, and while I would not have originally chosen something like this for myself… you need to accept that _you_ are not the reason we are here today. _I_ am.” He stared down into those wide eyes. “You heard what Freya said. _I_ am your master. _I_ bound _you_.” The blonde gulped. “ _You_ didn’t force or drag or seduce me into anything. If I’m straddling your body right now, in the middle of estrus, and suffering because I need your cock, it is because _I_ wanted this. I _want_ this. I not only chose this, but I did everything in my power to make sure you were mine.” He hurried on when Merlin opened his mouth, not allowing the idiot to say anything or try to remove the blame from Arthur by blaming himself and his cambion physiology. “You might say that I am addicted to you, and I won’t deny it because just the thought of not having you inside of me gives me panic attacks, but despite that I also know that you are just as addicted to _me._ And unlike you I have no problems using your addiction to me against you.” He cleared his throat. “Also, I know you worry about how dubiously consensual our relationship started out, as well as what you see as you forcing me to do things I did not want to at the time. And sure, I may have tried certain things merely to please you, but Merlin, by doing so I realized that, despite not believing it to be possible at the time—- _they please me too._ ”

“Is that so?” Merlin rumbled like the dragon might, his arousal darkening on his eyes as he finally loosened his grip on Arthur’s hip.

“It is.” Arthur reached behind him to grab and angle Merlin’s cock, and then he shifted back on his knees, filling himself with his mate just as his body clenched around the emptiness in despair. Suddenly, the pain-tinged feeling erupted in pleasure as his body found itself filling with its lover. “ _Gods below_.” Lowering his head, Arthur breathed heavily as he eased all the way back till he was filled with his mate. His fingers kneaded Merlin’s chest as he begun to arch and curve his back. “If it wasn’t for you, Merlin, I’d never know the pleasure being taken by a cock could give me.”

“ _A_ cock?” Merlin raised an eyebrow despite his teasing tone.

“ _Your_ cock,” Arthur huffed, knowing his mate knew he’d meant that. “I’d never know how pain, when induced correctly, can heighten pleasure so incredibly.” He began to rock his hips, his voice slightly whined in pleasure. “Or have smelt that scent you let out when there are others playing.” His ass clenched around Merlin’s cock in remembrance as his cockhead weeped. “You are _mine_ , Merlin, mine and only mine… and while I am jealous and possessive, I also love it when you feed. I love how you allow me to pick who you feed from, I love how you lose control once you start, I love how you use them as if they were merely a tool, I love how you so clearly wish they were me, and I love how your body saves up all your seed for mine.”He could feel the way his words were affecting his mate by the way that cock throbbed and pulsated inside of him. “I love how you can spend hours feeding, how you can feed on multiple people, but then when you cannot take it any longer you thrust into me and _immediately_ climax.” His toes curled. “I love that seeding. I love how it shoots so violently inside of me and doesn’t seem to stop. I love the noises you make as you fill me up with such long, unending gushes. You sound as if it is both pleasure and agony, and you shift against me as if trying to bury your whole body inside of mine.” His voice became breathy at the very thought as he admitted: “I almost want you to feed more than you have to just so I can watch, can smell, and then can receive all of your seed in that violent, unending flood.”

Merlin surged upwards, biting deep into Arthur’s neck, using gravity to yank Arthur back down when he himself did so. His grip on Arthur’s hips tightened, and the second the boy’s chest hit his the man began to repeatedly slam upwards into him.

Eyes rolling in their sockets in pleasure, Arthur’s whole body erupted into gooseflesh as he keened. “I can finally understand the merchant’s wife,” he groaned as shudders of delight raced down his spine. “If I could handle the touch of another I would also use that ability to lure them in so you could have them.” He shivered at the thought of watching some overly confident man being shown pleasure under Merlin as Arthur’s mate fed and fucked him. The blonde had gotten a taste for this during the crusade when Merlin’s magic had avenged him from those who had mocked a man whose body accepted another’s… and the process of seeing the big burly men slowly stop struggling as pleasure became so great they transformed into wanton bitches was yet another kink Arthur would never have known he had if it hadn’t been for Merlin. “Once the Dark Moon and my heat are over we should go on a tour of our kingdom so you can feed to your heart’s content, and I can have your wellspring continuously gushing endlessly inside of me.” Just the thought made him shiver. “If I am not pregnant by the time my heat is over…” he licked Merlin’s chest. “…I will be once our tour is.”

A snarl escaped Merlin’s lips as vibrated into Arthur’s shoulder. He was shaking, both from excitement and arousal, as he slammed Arthur down into him harder and harder.

“ _Merrrrrrrr_ lin!” Arthur sobbed as those tingles deep within began to grow with intensity. “M-most importantly, i-if it had not b-been for y-you I would have never known m-my t-true purpose in l-life as your c-cockhole!”

Another snarl vibrated from Merlin’s mouth seconds before he unclenched his teeth from Arthur’s shoulder to instead hiss in his ear. “Never forget this moment, mate,” he ordered in a dark, almost threatening tone as his cock began to shift inside of Arthur, expanding into a new and unfamiliar shape which almost seemed a mixture of the dragon and demon.

It was hard to pay attention to Merlin or his words when Arthur’s body was screaming in happiness as the cock inside of him transformed from its human shape. Even as Arthur’s body burned with the pressure it was suddenly under he could _feel_ it creating more slick to ease the transition as the dragon’s tiered shaft expanded upwards and outwards, forcing that spiraled tip deeper into Arthur’s body as the demon’s ridges hardened roughly, scraping every inch of him to his most sacred of places, all of which danced around the intruder.

Arthur’s body wasn’t the only thing screaming as the boy straightened as best as he could while speared, undulating his hips and fucking himself desperately against the still growing and shifting cock. Even breathing grew torturous but he couldn’t stop himself from moving even if he’d wanted to. The boy gripped at his own hair as he rocked his hips, sobbing out at the way those ridged tiers massaged him impossibly deep, each slightest move causing them to pop either deeper inside or further out only to be shoved back in again. His breathing was ragged and his throat burned from his screams but Arthur could not control himself, could not stop himself, not when every violent shove downwards left that tip tickling a place within him he’d never even known he had.

Fingers molested his lips before slipping in passed them, burying themselves in his mouth. Arthur suckled on them like he would the cock sending him insane.

“Look at my perfect mate coming undone on my cock,” Merlin praised as he thrusted those fingers into Arthur’s mouth insinuatingly. “Do you feel that, my love?” He shoved up viciously and groaned. “In this form I’m constantly kissing the entrance of your womb.”

Tremors rocked Arthur’s body before there was a surprising stab of pain and then… the blonde screamed around those fingers at the wave of overwhelming pleasure that nearly caused him to black out.

Throwing his head back, Merlin let out a strangled sound. “You took me in a little deeper!” His breathing grew accelerated. “I’m in your womb!” He then turned his gaze to meet Arthur’s, infernal fever reflected in his own. “Steel yourself, Arthur.” Merlin gripped Arthur’s hips tightly. “I am going to use you like a bitch.”

At the dark promise Arthur climaxed, and even as he caressed the bulge sticking out of his stomach, even as his body clenched and massaged that cock deep inside of him, Merlin visibly snapped. The blonde let out an endless scream as Merlin began to fuck him brutally, living up to his word of using the boy like a bitch, like the living cockhole Arthur loved being. His body was overly stimulated from not only the cock itself but his own orgasm, and yet even so he could feel another climax building, his body glorying in being used this way by its alpha. In that moment Arthur truly was a bitch in heat, sobbing and begging, being taken and used by Merlin indiscriminately.

Grabbing Arthur’s knees, Merlin pinned them down roughly onto the nest on either side of his hips, trapping the boy and leaving him unable to escape as he pounded up aggressively, acting very dragon-ish as he allowed the blonde no retreat. His thrusts were so brutal they should’ve bounced Arthur upwards somewhat so the fact that he was remaining where he was proved magic was assisting in his being pinned down.

“ ** _Gods below_** ,” Merlin sobbed as if he were being tortured. “You keep relaxing deep inside, Arthur! Keeping slipping a little more and more of me inside of you!” He threw his head back and arched his back. “You’re such a perfect little bitch!”

A shiver raced down Arthur’s spine as he let out a drawn out cry at those words.

“My boy likes being called a bitch, doesn’t he?” Merlin chuckled darkly as he continued to ravage Arthur. “I adore and worship my mate, but he prefers it when I call him my _cocksleeve_ , doesn’t he?”

Arthur nodded viciously as he whole body erupted in shudders.

“ _I love you so much_!” Merlin’s voice broke with both emotion and desire. “ _So much_ , Arthur. _So much_.” He stared into his eyes. “You’ll never need a love potion with me. I’m already obsessed with every thing about you.” His grip tightened on Arthur’s knees. “And I will _never_ let you go. _Ever_.” And then his grip grew painful as he climaxed, filling Arthur while never breaking eye-contact, the act somehow more intimate, more claiming, than ever.

* * *

 

Mordred felt like an idiot.

Sending yet another horny asshole who’d tried to force himself on him face-first into the castle wall, the druid took in a deep breath and squared his shoulders. He wasn’t supposed to be here. He’d sworn he’d stay in the sanctuary islands, and yet here he was during the second day of the Dark Week, already back in Dragonhold Castle. It felt like he was walking towards his own execution, and it pissed him off. Even though Percy had _sworn_ he wouldn’t tup with anyone if it wasn’t Mordred the druid knew that the lord might have had good intentions, but that once the Dark Moon rose in the sky he’d be a slave to his desires. Any promise he’d made would be absolutely nullified.

It was part of the reason why Mordred had refused to stay and be with Percy like he’d asked him to. He couldn’t deal with that, deal with more disappointments. And yet only one day and night had passed before he’d snarled and stormed away from the sanctuary islands, headed back towards the castle. On his way there he’d been able to get a good view of the kingdom of Dragonhold going cock-crazy, and he’d had to use his telekinesis to shove away quite a couple of them who had tried to rut with him, but he’d finally made it to the castle.

It was a den of iniquity, of writhing bodies, dark laughter, and breathless groans. The swain were most definitely using all of the tricks that Owain, Fionn, Bors and Arthur had taught them, and were somehow weathering all of the attention being lavished on them. Some of them seemed to have managed to foster a relationship of sorts (or at least the beginnings of one) with some of the same knights or lords who had used them during the war (like Galvin) while others who had lost the partners they’d made during the war had found others to replace them (like Roarke). Considering how Owain worried about ‘his boys’ Mordred figured he’d have to figure out a way to send him a message letting him know they seemed to be doing just fine.

But that wasn’t important right now. No. Mordred slowly traversed through the castle, forcing himself to identify each and every person he knew in the never-ending orgy. He sent those coming at him flying left and right, and while they might be under the effects of the moon they seemed to understand pain because they left him alone after that.

No matter where he looked Mordred could not find Percy, and it both filled him with relief and frustration. Where was that mountain oaf? _Who_ was he with? While one part of Mordred wanted to find him and get this over with, to prove to them both what he’d already known, another part of him was relieved every time he failed to find the giant in one of the rooms.

It was as he finished scouring the ground floor of the castle that Mordred started to wonder something dark in his stomach. Was the reason why he could not find that idiot because… _he was in his room with someone_?

A muscle ticked roughly in his cheek as he stopped searching all over and instead stormed towards Percy’s bedroom. He stopped at the door and hesitated, putting his ear to the door and listening. Grunts of groans could be heard on the other side of the wood. He reached for the door and tried it, only to find it locked. So. Percy had locked himself in there with some little harlot, huh? He didn’t want to share whoever was in the room with him.

Magic flew out of Mordred before he could even stop himself, breaking the lock and slamming the door open against the wall. The druid stormed into the room, mouth open and an accusing snarl on his lips… only for him to flounder as he caught sight of what was going on in Percy’s bedroom.

Percy was alone. He was _alone_. And from the crazed look in his eyes he’d clearly been alone since the Dark Moon had risen. Not only had he locked himself inside of his bedroom, but he’d shackled himself to the wall, making it impossible for him to actually free himself. The chain _was_ long enough for his hand to reach his cock, however, and that was the reason for the grunting Mordred had heard.

Magic slamming the door shut and moving the heavy chest of drawers in front of it to block anyone else from coming in, Mordred just stared at Percy in utter disbelief. The idiot had meant what he’d told him. They both knew what would happen to someone who had taken part in those rituals if they did not filter out the darkness within them during the Dark Moon, and Percy’s state was a testament to that. There was barely any humanity left in those eyes, those dark, feverish eyes that locked on him immediately, hungrily.

“You’re an idiot,” Mordred informed him even as he started to disrobe, refusing to acknowledge the way his fingers shook. “What if I hadn’t come back? What if I’d stayed in the sanctuary islands like I said I would? What would I have come back to at the end of Dark Week? You might never have regained your humanity! _You_ ** _idiot_**! Do you think I’d be _happy_ if that happened _?_ ” The very thought both pissed and terrified him as he stormed towards Percy, using his telekinesis to tighten the lord’s shackles so that his hands were forcefully pinned up above his head and unable to touch Mordred as he lowered himself onto the man’s throbbing cock. “You _idiot_!”

Animalistic desire mixed with pleading agony as Percy groaned and thrusted up, taking the boy by surprise as he forced his cockhead - wet from the many times he’s brought himself to completion - into him.

Collapsing onto Percy’s chest, Mordred bit down on his bottom lip and allowed his own body weight to drag him downwards. He curled his arms around Percy’s neck and hid his face in the man’s burly chest, holding on as Percy bucked harder and harder, burying himself a little inside of him with each thrust.

“ _I can’t believe you actually meant it_ ,” Mordred whispered into Percy’s chest.

Suddenly Percy somehow got free of Mordred’s magic and gripped the boy’s hips, snarling as he slipped Mordred free only to slam him down, somehow managing to fill him to the hilt.

Pain mixed with pleasure Mordred’s lips parted, his back arched, his head was thrown backwards and his whole body trembled in absolute shock at the brutal penetration. His body was desperately trying to adjust to Percy’s manhood which, like the rest of him, was overly large. Mordred tried to remain still, to give his body time to grow accustomed to the rod claiming him, but Percy had other plans. The lord tightened his grip on Mordred’s hips and used it to raise Mordred right off of his cock before slamming him right back down again.

“Percy!” Mordred tried to reach for his chest, to somehow gain purchase, but his body was being manipulated by the mountain of a man, who seemed deaf to his whimpers and whines. The druid could stop this brutal treatment whenever he wanted to, it would take one fling of his wrist, and yet instead of doing so Mordred found his hands going to his own cock, which was tiny in comparison to the one buried inside of his body. At first the difference between them had hurt his ego, but as Mordred stroked himself he couldn’t help but clench tightly around Percy at the thought of the large cock carving him out.

Even while taken over by the Dark Moon and a captive to a darker, more monstrous mentality, Percy still watched Mordred’s face hungrily the way he used to. It was as if just seeing Mordred’s expressions twisting was as arousing for the man as being inside of the druid.

“You—-you actually _meant it_.” Mordred’s voice choked as he leaked pre-cum all over his own hand. “For you to go this far—to risk this much—.” He gulped as emotion welled in his throat. “You really want me, don’t you?”

No one had wanted Mordred, not genuinely, not completely. He’d been the bastard son of the mistress. He’d been the tag-along brother of the queen. He’d been the replacement lover who had never been able to compare to Arthur, had never been able to even get close to stealing his place in Merlin’s heart or life. So when Percy, who was known for being blindly in love with Gwen, had suddenly started to chase him after they’d been fooled into believing they were lovers Mordred had understandably not believed the man or his feelings to be genuine. He’d believed himself the replacement once more. The rebound once more. The easy target once more.

And yet…

Growling, Percy slammed Mordred repeatedly down before pushing up and seemingly trying to meld them together as his seed spurted into him. All the while those eyes stared feverishly into Mordred’s face, consuming the way the boy sobbed at the feeling of being claimed.

With a flick of his wrists, Mordred yanked the shackles out of the wall, and almost immediately he found them turned around. Percy knelt on the ground, his knees touching the wall, Mordred trapped up on his lap between his chest and the wall as well as the lord snarled against his mouth warningly. The man’s huge hands spanned his hips easily, and he manipulated Mordred’sbody back and forth roughly.

“ _Perccccyyyyyy_ …” Mordred whimpered against his lips. “ _Make me yours_.”

Suddenly Percy froze, but right before Mordred could open his mouth to say anything else the man captured his lips with his and wrapped his arms roughly around his body. Little snarls and whimpers were escaping his mouth as his lips consumed the druid’s.

Sobbing in delight, Mordred wrapped his arms around Percy’s neck and took advantage of the man’s hands no longer being on his hips to rock himself. He grinned filthily into the kiss when Percy snarled deep in his throat at this, clearly loving the druid rutting on top of him of his own accord.

“ _You’re mine now_ ,” Mordred warned against his lips.

Percy responded by completely encapsulating Mordred’s cock with his huge hand, hiding it from view as he began to stroke him.

Mere seconds later Mordred came undone.

* * *

 

Arthur gripped fistfuls of the nest and pled with all his might. He was face-down in the downy material with his legs awkwardly around Merlin, who had Arthur’s bottom half raised off of the nest, and was rocking into him at a teasingly languid pace that did disastrous things to the boy’s body.

“ _Please_!” Arthur sobbed as he rolled his hips back into Merlin’s. “ _Please_!”

“ _Shhhhhhhhhh_.” Merlin nibbled on Arthur’s back even as his cock wrecked havoc, the tiers popping in and out while the ridges scraped him, readied him, for seed that he was not receiving.

“Gods damnit, Merlin, that’s enough! As your mate and Consort  _I demand_ —-!” Arthur’s voice choked when Merlin bit deep into his back and stilled inside of him, clearly punishing him. “ _Mer_ lin!” He whimpered and tried to move but was good and trapped. “Don’t do this! Merlin! I—!” When Merlin snarled and bit down deeper Arthur’s body trembled and he clenched tightly at the toe-curling domination. “I—I’m sorry, master.” He groaned when he felt that cock pulsate inside of him, which spurred him on. “I had no right demanding anything of you. I’m just a greedy little bitch who loves the feeling of being used by his alpha.”

A groan vibrated from Merlin’s mouth into Arthur’s back.

“I just want your seed inside of me so desperately that I forget my place,” Arthur whimpered, feeling the way his own words were making him tremble. “But don’t you want to fill me with your seed, master? Don’t you want to use your bitch properly?” At Merlin’s whimper, Arthur’s eyes rolled in his sockets. “I want to have your babies, master.”

A tortured sob escaped Merlin as his hips began to once more buck into Arthur.

“Breed your bitch, master.” Arthur tightened his grip on the nest as those bucks grew faster, deeper. “Yesssssss. Master! Just like that!” Gooseflesh erupted on his skin as his voice turned guttural. “Use your bitch! This body was made for this purpose alone! Was made for your cock! For your seed! Breed me, master! Breed me!”

Merlin snapped, and gave Arthur what he’d been demanding for.

* * *

 

Things had not gone how Kay had expected them to.

When Sophia had told him about the Dark Moon he’d half thought about sneaking into Arthur’s room and just _giving_ it to him while the blonde was too consumed by the sex magic to be able to say no, and the other half had reluctantly imagined himself under Merlin as the king used him for his pleasure. Either way, Kay had figured he’d use the ‘have to fuck’ energy to his advantage to get laid in the royal bedchamber.

It was a sound plan in theory, but he just hadn’t anticipated never actually _making_ it to said royal bedchamber.

On his way there he’d been ambushed by someone and thrown into the wall, and then Kay had had his first man. It had hurt, and he’d struggled a little at first because damn it, he had pride in his manliness, but then something had happened, and instead of trying to push free Kay had found himself meeting those thrusts and sobbing in pleasure as he was used by that nameless knight. By the time that one had finally left another had been there to take his place, and then another, and then another, and then _another_ … and Kay had decided that his pride could go to hell because, damn it, these men knew what they were doing!

In many ways it utterly depressed him, though, because it was a slap in the face of not only how wrong his perception of himself had been for all of these years… but proved to him that he’d wasted them pining after someone who not only hadn’t cared about him, but who was clearly not compatible. Two Bottoms didn’t make a Top, and while Kay had always imagined himself on top, had brought himself to completion countless times by imagining Arthur the one beneath him, those orgasms were nothing like the ones he’d experienced since being taken during the Dark Week. 

To be quite honest it was pure stubbornness that had him making his way slowly towards the direction of the royal bedchamber in between partners. Sometimes he only made it a few steps before he was shoved against something and taken, but he took pride in those steps because it meant he hadn’t allowed himself to be distracted by the never-ending pleasure. He had a goal, and it might get him killed after the Dark Week but honestly he was a bit too resentful to care. He’d force Arthur to watch as Merlin fucked him, as Merlin lost himself in pleasure inside of him, and he’d make Arthur feel what Kay had for so long… while enjoying what _Arthur_ had for so long.

If it hadn’t been for Merlin Kay would never have even realized his true position in sex. He’d have fought for dominance and probably would’ve gotten it as well, instead, thanks to Merlin’s mental attacks, to his magic, to that memory of what it felt like to have Merlin deep inside of him… Kay had given up and given in _far_ too quickly, easily, a part of him wanting to know whether that had been manipulation, or a fluke. It hadn’t. And yet while the pleasure had been amazing it hadn’t even been close to what Kay had felt like, not when Merlin’s magic had assailed his body and his mind, and _definitely_ not when Kay had seen what sex felt like for Arthur.

The latter had been overwhelming, and while Kay hadn’t wanted to admit it, it had made his newly discovered resentment towards Arthur grow. Not only did Arthur have everything, not only did he value nothing and nobody, but he got to experience _that_. Kay might’ve denied to Sophia that he’d become attracted to Merlin, and he still very much denied it to himself because the idea of wanting a _demon_ to rut him was unbelievable… but Kay knew without a fact that if he could trade places with Arthur - even if only for a day - _he would_. And he’d spend that whole day in bed, being ravaged by that monster and _loving it_.

Kay wanted to be fucked by that creature. He wanted it to happen _for real_. Not magic. Not a memory. He wanted Arthur to watch helplessly as Merlin fucked him raw, as Merlin came inside of him.

Turning the corner he stumbled to a stop when he saw someone vaguely familiar standing in his way. He wasn’t exactly sure where he’d seen him before, but he definitely knew he _had,_ and from the darkly amused expression on the boy’s face it was obvious that he knew Kay as well. That smirk was infuriatingly familiar as well.

“Why am I not surprised you’re headed in this direction?” The boy sneered with a shake of his head. “You really _do_ have a death wish, don’t you?”

“What are _you_ doing here?” Kay wanted to know, deciding not to let it be obvious that he wasn’t quite sure who this boy was yet.

“I’m following an anomalous energy pattern that has been distracting me,” the boy replied with a shrug. “It disappeared around here so I was waiting for it to reappear so I could follow it back to its source.” His lips twitched into a mischievous smirk. “Want to keep me company until it reappears?”

“No.” Kay raised an eyebrow. “Now, if you excuse me—.” In seconds he found himself confused as he found himself shoved down, his wrists pinned to the floor next to his body as the warmth of another pressed into him from above, pinning him with it own weight.

“You are _really_ making it difficult to protect you,” that voice growled in his ear as he settled over Kay, shifting to press his cockhead against the knight’s entrance. “Do you _really_ think Arthur would let you live if you disturbed them during his heat? Just how much of an idiot _are_ you?” And with that the boy thrusted in, taking advantage of Kay being sore yet loosened and lubed with come to sink in completely. “Oh _gods_ , there was no resistance at all! You _have_ been having fun.”

His pride had him struggle because damn it, this boy was _clearly_ younger than him! And yet despite his built the boy was strong, much stronger than Kay had anticipated, and while the knight tried to get free he couldn’t deny that the shiver that raced down his body upon realizing he truly could not escape… was not from fear. Damn it. Was this one of his kinks? Did he _like_ being manhandled?

“How have you been enjoying the Dark Moon, Kay?” The boy groaned into his ear as he began to circle his hips, carving the knight out. “It feels as if you have. You’re so slick inside from all of the seed you’ve taken. Clearly you’ve been a good little whore.” A chuckle escaped his lips when Kay not only groaned, but shivered once more, the knight instinctively relaxing as that cock teased him deep within. “Have you managed to take anyone at all or has this slutty little hole of yours been getting all of the attention?”

“None… of your… business…!” Kay angled his hips upwards and keened when that cock slid in smoother, deeper. The dark chuckle in his ear made gooseflesh erupt on his skin and a flush of red darken over his countenance as the cock inside of him continued to make slow yet rough circles, opening him up further and teasing his already sensitive hole. Kay lowered his face to the floor and couldn’t stop his whimper of frustrated need as he realized he couldn’t thrust backwards, was completely trapped an able to do nothing but allow this tingly torture to continue.

“You’re trying to get me to thrust into you, aren’t you?” The boy chuckled throatily. “My my, Kay, it’s amazing what one day of being rutted can do to a person.” His teeth nipped at the back of Kay’s neck, his voice muffled as he asked: “Did you know that there are realms where it is commonplace for men to give birth?” His tongue lapped at the skin his teeth was tormenting. “In them heat is common too. If this were that realm all I’d have to do right now is bite you right _here_ while taking you in your heat, and you’d be my bitch for life.”

Kay’s eyes widened as suddenly he realized whose cock was buried inside of him, torturing his passage with such expert teasing. “ ** _Bors_**?”

Bors grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled Kay’s head back, arching his neck painfully seconds before he finally thrusted. “Say it again.”

“ **Bors**.” Kay groaned at the electric pleasure racing down his body the second Bors thrusted in once more.

“Again,” Bors ordered in his ear.

“ ** _Bors_**!” Kay sobbed, realizing the boy was only thrusting when he said his name. “ _Bors! Bors! Bors! Bors! Bors! Bors! Bors! Bors! Bors!_ ” He was yelling but he couldn’t stop himself, the pain in his neck, his inability to escape, and the spine-tingling pleasure of each thrust took a toll on his usually sharp mind as he became a mess of need. “ _BorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBorsBors!_ ”

“Why can’t you be good and obedient like this all the time?” Bors grunted in his neck as he thrusted endlessly into Kay, his voice betraying his own pleasure. “If you don’t learn to behave I’ll end up having to kill you…” He chuckled darkly, savagely, into Kay’s skin. “I’d much rather _fuck_ you.”

Gods below… this _was_ a kink of his! Kay was both horrified and elated when Bors’ hands gripped his throat tightly, nearly suffocatingly, the boy holding him threateningly as he shifted to whisper coarse, vulgar things into Kay’s ear while slamming himself into the older knight. Each threat and whisper caused Kay to not only sob out but to clench tighter around Bors’ cock, the knight become a desperate heap of tingles and shivers and sobs.

“Seems I might have found a way to handle you,” Bors chuckled into his ear as his grip around Kay’s throat tightened. “From now on, when you’re acting more of a bitch than usual, I’ll just fuck it out of you.”

Kay’s insides were tightening uncontrollably. He was close—he was so very—! “BORS! BORS! BORS! BORS! BO—-!”

“Better keep yourself lubed up, Kay,” Bors purred threateningly into his ear. “Because I’m going to take you when you least expect it. Arthur won’t be the only one in court living with a cock inside of him.”

The image flashed through his mind, and was enough to push Kay over the edge into an earth-shattering climax. For the rest of that day he became Bors’ plaything, his body being filled exclusively with Bors’ cock and seed, and at least for that day the knight forgot his mission to make it to the royal bedchamber.

* * *

 

Merlin made love to him slowly, sweetly, his mouth kissing Arthur just as tenderly as his body was loving down into his. While Arthur’s heat tended to demand rough brutal coupling, it was enjoying this as much as the boy was. He ran his fingers up and down Merlin’s back while undulating his hips upwards to meet Merlin’s thrusts just as slowly yet still increased how deeply Merlin found himself inside of him. Merlin’s love was so physical it was wrapped around him like a blanket, keeping him warm and safe, and Arthur couldn’t fathom a life in which he did not end up under his cambion.

“ _Love you_ ,” Merlin whispered against his lips. “ _Love you so much_.”

“ _Love you more_ ,” Arthur promised, sealing Merlin’s disagreement to that with his own lips as his tongue flicked against Merlin’s invitingly, being all that was needed for it to invade his mouth and claim him just like Merlin’s cock was.

It was clear with every muffled whimper, with every throaty groan, just how much pleasure Merlin was feeling inside of him. Those sounds were addicting. They were like music. They were as pleasurable as the hybrid cock whose tip continuously slipped into Arthur’s womb and tickled him, promising that place within him more seed. While Arthur loved the demon and the dragon, as well as the time he spent with either, he knew without a fact that it was this hybrid form that would impregnate him. This cock was _made_ to inseminate, and the very thought made him shiver all the way to his toes.

 ** _Love you most_** , Merlin’s thoughts caressed his mind.

 _Love you murderously_ , Arthur admitted.

Sobbing into his mouth, Merlin’s thrusts picked up their pace. **_Going to seed you, Arthur. Going to fill your womb with my babies_**.

Now the one sobbing, Arthur forced his body to relax even more, and again there was a pang of pain as that tip breached deeper within, and then there was nothing but agonizing white pleasure.


	4. Chapter 4

On the third day of the Dark Week Bors felt that energy shift once more, and it was the reason why he had stopped having fun with the castle’s inhabitants. Whatever that thing was it was disturbing him, and if it was disturbing him it was because it should not be there, and that worried him. It was why he ignored the multiple offers thrown his way by the whole castle, instead moving around, following that invisible trail that he could still sense. Everyone was utterly naked, which was to be expected given the three days the kingdom-wide orgy had lasted so far, and Bors knew he was attractive, so even though he himself was not affected by the pull of the Dark Moon in the same way that the others were, he walked around confidently in the buff while having his walk-about.

While there were Dark Tourists such as himself around, clearly enjoying themselves, Bors wondered whether he was the only one who realized that many of them were from Cambria. While there was a small spattering of succubi around, incubi seemed to be everywhere, and that made sense given the inclination of Mercia. Sure, this wasn’t Mercia anymore, it was an amalgamation of kingdoms, but the rulers were both very Mercian, and in their inner circle were either Mercians or those who had adopted Mercian customs and tendencies. With the Dark Week happening so soon after the formation, and with those same men clearly making it their duty to initiate their new countrymen into the lifestyle… well… Bors had a feeling that Mercia’s inclinations would spread very quickly to the rest of the new kingdom.

_Considering what I can see all around me, I don't think the rest of the kingdom will be as shocked and scandalized by that as Merlin thought it would._

It was due to just how many intriguing and stimulating sights were around that it was easy to get distracted while on his self-appointed mission. All around him the castle was filled with interesting pairings, many of them multiple. Bors and Sophia were both information gatherers, they thrived on noticing things others did not, and yet if Sir Reuben of Camelot had ever had any attraction to Sir Leon up until that moment they’d both failed to notice it. Sir Leon’s hands were bound together at the wrists and hooked around Sir Reuben’s neck as the fairer knight was bounced up and down on the other man’s lap. Unlike many of the other couplings in the castle these two were not joined by others, and if the positioning of the chair Sir Reuben sat on was anything to go by he was, oddly enough, seeking some level of privacy so he could plunder the sandy blonde knight’s body. The hazy pleasure in Sir Leon’s eyes proved that his hands might be bound, but it was clearly a kink he’d developed during his stay in the Mercian kingdom because he was enjoying this treatment _very_ much.

There was only one other twosome pairing in the room, but unlike with Sir Reuben and Sir Leon, these two were not being left alone and were in the middle of being bothered by a couple of men who eyed the bottom with open desire.

“ **Back. Off**.” Elyan snarled at the men who’d started to congregate around him.

“ _Come on_ , Elyan!” One of the braver ones complained very loudly. “You’ve kept him all to yourself since the Dark Week started!”

“Hell! Since even before that!” Another clenched his fists. “You’ve been hogging his ass ever since we marched into war!”

“Yeah!” Another stroked his weeping cock, nearly salivating. “I have wanted to try him out since the moment he arrived to train!”

Elyan’s eyes went dangerous. “ **He’s MINE.** ”

The boy pinned to the wall and nearly hidden from sight by his body whimpered as he rolled his hips backwards. “You mean that?”

Eyes rolling in pleasure, Elyan’s ass clenched as he thrusted in deeper. “You got a problem with that, boy?” He caught his ear between his teeth, voice muffled yet clearly warning when he asked: “Do you _want_ me to lend you out to these assholes?”

“ _No_.” Galvin shook his head rapidly, viciously, reaching back to dig his fingers into Elyan’s ass and urge him in deeper.

“ **Good**.” Elyan let Galvin’s ear slip from between his teeth to lick away the sting of his bite, chuckling when the boy immediately rested his head back against him and shamelessly begged for more. “Because I’m going to petition the King and Queen to give you to me as my personal, _exclusive_ catamite.”

Suddenly freezing, Galvin’s eyes widened before a flush darkened on his cheeks, excitement and hope fluttering over his face. He reached out and moved his hand from where it was gripping at the wall to instead rest over the one Elyan had pinned by his head. “Are you being serious right now?”

“Why?” Elyan chuckled darkly, humorlessly. “Are you disappointed since I’m only a knight thanks to special circumstances and not because I am of ‘noble’ blood like the others? I’m sure the son of a wealthy merchant like yourself was probably hoping to bag himself a lord, not some lowly blacksmith’s son.” His smile was ugly. “Maybe you think I should instead ask for someone else, someone closer to my station, someone like—.”

In seconds Galvin had elbowed Elyan, taking the knight by surprise as he slipped free of his cock and spun around, grabbing Elyan by his cock threateningly as he glared up at the shocked knight. “Like _who_?” His voice rumbled with his dark fury. “ _Who_?” His grip visibly tightened around Elyan’s cock, causing the knight to groan and lean in towards him. “Like _Roarke_? Is _that_ who you were daring to leave me for?” He snarled, showing teeth as he began to stroke the cock he’d been manhandling seconds before. “Has that whore been trying to sniff around you since Lord Gwaine left? _Has he_?”

Elyan opened his mouth to answer and yet nothing came out so he merely shook his head rapidly.

“Then _who_?” Galvin glared up at him, his previous submissiveness completely gone. Clearly it had been an illusion, a part he had been playing, and the one glaring up murderously, jealously, at Elyan was the _true_ Galvin. “If not Roarke then _who_ has been shaking his ass at you? And don’t lie to me, Elyan!” He grit his teeth with a growl. “I did _not_ spend _months_ chasing you around the castle, gathering all sorts of information I could on you, wearing scents and clothes you favored while ‘bumping accidentally’ into you whenever you were alone, only to allow some random little tart to—!”

Instead of answering, Elyan gripped Galvin by his hips and lifted him, the boy only managing to grab purchase on his shoulders seconds before the man slid into him. Elyan pressed kisses to Galvin’s neck and hair as he started to move inside of him, whispering words that sounded like ‘only you’ to the boy, who still looked murderous but who was clearly growing more appeased by the second.

Galvin’s eyes narrowed on the men still gathered around, looking very dangerous once again as he hissed: “ **Fuck. Off**.”

The men murmured unhappily but did as told.

Gasping, Galvin bit down on his bottom lip as he wrapped his legs around Elyan’s waist. “May I call you ‘Master’ from now on?” When Elyan nodded desperately while sucking marks all over his neck, Galvin’s expression turn from murderous to blissful. “ _Master_.” He leaned closer to nibble on Elyan’s shoulder blade. “ _Master, please take me to our room. I want to please you in every way you could ever possibly desire_.”

In seconds Elyan had not only pulled out, but flung Galvin over his shoulder, and stormed away in the direction of his room.

As he hung over said shoulder, the expression on the face of the merchant’s son was utter victory.

Bors caught his gaze and grinned, giving him a thumbs up, really proud of that one.

Galvin grinned brightly and gave Bors two thumbs up seconds before Elyan turned the corner and they disappeared from sight.

Both Bors and Sophia had known for sure that Galvin would be one of the first ones to secure himself an actual lover, and they were proud at how he’d clearly taken to heart their lessons on how to seduce a desired lover into thinking _they’d_ chosen you. Unlike some of the swain, Galvin would definitely never be content to merely be another man’s whore, and he’d no doubt aim towards becoming Elyan’s Consort. With his competitive, hell-bent nature, as well as the cunning side of him he usually kept well hidden, he’d probably make it as well. The boy might’ve been born into relative wealth given who his father was, but he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty and work to get what he wanted.

 _We’ll have to have him replace Fionn in the swain training since Fionn has made it quite obvious that he doesn’t want to continue_. Bors pursed his lips with a grin. _We’ll also need a replacement for Arthur, since the Queen will most definitely have more important duties than training the swain._

He hoped Roarke managed to bag himself an official lover during this week as well, because Roarke and Galvin, while rivals, really worked well off of each other, and their prodding and pushing of the swain had been what had helped the boys be as ready as they ever could be for this moment. It would be very beneficial to have both boys as instructors to assist not only the swain who did not manage to find someone this time around, but the new recruits Bors had no doubt would be joining the ranks.

It might be tricky for Roarke though, considering he’d spent most of his time during the war with Gwaine, which meant that he’d been left at a disadvantage when Gwaine had returned to Caerleon. The boy had been left to find a new companion while his fellow swain had already had a while to try and establish connections. It would not be easy, but like Galvin, Roarke was determined, headstrong, and usually got his way. Also, seeing Galvin doing so well with Elyan would no doubt fuel Roarke’s competitive nature, so while Bors was a little worried that Roarke might not find someone this Dark Moon, the redhead decided to wait and see whatever happened.

Hoping that _all_ of his students had taken his lessons to heart like Galvin had and that many of them would have committed partners by the time the Dark Week was over, Bors continued on following that faint line of energy that zigged zagged throughout the castle. It seemed to be growing stronger as the days went by, and that worried him. What exactly was it? And what was it doing in the castle?

Turning the corner, Bors stumbled to a stop before snorting in amusement. He didn’t really know Irvyn very well, but the druid clearly had some sort of fetish because he was _never_ in a one-on-one situation. In fact, it always seemed as if he was trying to outdo the other bottoms in popularity. Today was no exception.

Laying down on his back sideways on a table, Irvyn’s head hung off the side and was wrapped around Fionn’s cock, the squire looking overwhelmed and disoriented with pleasure as Sir Cadman rocked into him from behind, rocking his cock deeper down Irvyn’s throat. Sir Geraint was similarly overwhelmed, his cock spearing into Irvyn’s body as Sir Montague slammed his own hips into him. Two of the lords who usually favored Lancelot had Irvyn’s hands around their cocks, whispering vulgar words into his ears as he stroked them. Two Powys soldiers thrusted against the soles of his feet while caressing his legs lustfully. The real cherry on top, however, was the stable boy riding Irvyn’s cock like a champ while sucking the cock of the man standing over Irvyn and holding the back of the stable boy’s head so he could ram inside deep inside of his throat.

That _really_ looked like fun, and Bors nearly found himself side-tracked, but he shook his head and continued on, sending Sir Montague’s ass a resentful little pout as he crossed him. He’d get that ass before the Dark Week was over, so help him the Old Ones! He would’ve tried to get Sir Cadman as well, but Fionn would be an utter bitch about it once the Dark Week was over, so it soooo wasn’t worth it.

Grumbling under his breath about possessive bottoms, Bors followed after the trail of energy until he came to a dead end. But he wasn’t the only one there.

“So you actually braved Arthur’s wrath and came back!” He greeted with a grin as he joined the other boy’s side.

A pout pursed Daegal’s lips as he looked up from where he’d clearly been examining the spot where the energy stopped. Unlike everyone else in the castle he was completely clothed and looked absolutely clean, which meant that despite being surrounded by all the fun going on he hadn’t partaken in any of it. He completely ignored Bors’ facetious comment and instead pointed to where the energy trail stopped, his eyes narrowed. “I don’t like this. Whatever it is, it makes me very uneasy.”

“I’m surprised you can sense it,” Bors admitted as he folded his arms over his chest and eyed where the energy signature had vanished. “I thought I was the only one.” He let out a huff. “I don’t like it either.” He tilted his head as he eyed the petite changeling. “Any idea what it might be?”

“Not a clue,” Daegal mumbled, clearly unhappy to do so. “But whatever it is it feels… familiar… and while I can’t put my finger exactly on _why_ it feels familiar… it has me on edge. Whatever it is, I don’t like it, not one bit.”

“Me neither.” Bors made a face as he combed his fingers through his red hair. “I need more than a gut feeling to go to Merlin about this though.” He grinned mischievously, able to picture exactly what would happen to him if he did just that. “Either way, Arthur will most definitely chuck the sharpest thing close at hand if I interrupt them, so I better have reasonable cause to go into the dragons’ den.”

Daegal gulped, doing a very poor job of hiding his terror at the mention of Arthur’s fury. He rubbed his arm and cleared his throat as he looked away from Bors. “Any idea how hard it will be for Avalon to get back into his good books?”

“Hmmmmm, it’s really hard to say.” Bors tapped a finger to his lips as he thought the question over seriously. “You not only kidnapped his mate, but you refused to take him along with you to Avalon. You also barred his entrance to Avalon, made him believe Merlin was dead, _and_ kept him from Merlin while Merlin was dying. If things had continued on the path you started them on Merlin would be dead right now, and Arthur realizes that.” He snorted at all of those points against the fae and changelings, before shrugging. “Prognostic: not good.”

“We were trying to save the Prince,” Daegal mumbled, sounding a bit petulant and very unhappy as he folded his arms over his chest.

“You were actually killing him though,” Bors reminded without any pity.

“ _How were we supposed to know that_?” Daegal flung his hands in the air before pouting. “All we knew was that the Mate’s actions had not only repeatedly weakened the Prince, but had brought him to the point where he was dying. Given the information we were running on, the safest bet for the Prince’s safety was to separate him from his greatest source of danger: the apparently uncaring,controlling, selfish Mate.”

“He’s his _mate_ , though.” Bors pointed out with a shake of his head. “Not his boyfriend. Not his lover. Not his slave. Not his mistress. His _mate_. That alone should’ve been enough for you all to realize that if they’d bonded to that degree it meant that—-.”

“I’m not saying that there weren’t holes in our plans,” Daegal emitted reluctantly. “But you’ve got to understand that our kind has served the Dragonlord dynasty since the very beginning, and when the empire fell Avalon took them in. Prince Celeres grew up in Avalon before finally leaving in his adulthood, and yet our kind continued to care for him and his descendants. Just like it’s your place to protect the souls bound to Excalibur, it is our duty to serve, feed, and protect the Heir, no matter what it takes.” Disgust raced over his face. “I let Valiant _use_ me for this very reason. I let that—that _disgusting_ human being—-!” He shivered and let out a revolted snarl as he shook his head and met Bors’ gaze head-on. “All that matters, Bors, is the Prince. He is _all_ that matters."

Bors opened his mouth before closing it and looking away with a sigh. He debated asking, not quite sure he actually wanted to know the answer, and yet even as he decided he did _not_ want to know, he found himself asking: “Do you know what happened to the Dragonlord family who brought Prince Celeres to Avalon?”

Confusion darkened Daegal’s face as he tilted his head and looked up at Bors in visible intrigue. “Yes. They stayed in Avalon.” He licked his lips and shifted on his feet. “I actually descend from their only child.”

“ _Sein’s_ your ancestor?” Bors’ voice broke, his eyes wide and prickling with tears he refused to acknowledge, much less shed.

“How do you know his name?” Daegal asked in surprise, eyeing Bors oddly, especially when the redhead refused to answer his question. That intrigue grew as the changeling eyed Bors in a strange manner. “Even when Prince Celeres left my ancestor remained in Avalon.” He gave a little half shrug. “The story goes that he’d made a promise to meet someone there, so he refused to ever leave.”

The tears rose and fell unbidden as Bors looked away, the voice in his head screaming for him to get control over himself, to not show such obvious weakness, and yet he couldn’t stop those tears from falling.

“ _Bors_?” Daegal asked in shocked worry as he reached out and placed his hand on the redhead’s arm. “ _What’s wrong_?”

“Was he happy?” Bors’ voice was strained, choked, as he sniffled and wiped his eyes. “Did he die a good death?”

For a moment there was silence as Daegal looked up into his face, which was wet with his tears, and then the changeling nodded. “Yes. On both accounts. He, uhm, he had a family and died of old age.” Daegal’s grip tightened on Bors’ arm. “He was healthy right up till the very end. Story goes he’d venture to the entrance of Avalon every morning and evening, and he’d just wait there, maybe for the person he’d promised to meet, but I don’t remember hearing whether that person ever arrived.”

Sinking to his knees, Bors covered his face with his hands as his breathing grew erratic. Sophia was sobbing inside of him while also trying to give him comfort, the both sides of him mourning and grieving a loss they’d never allowed themselves to dwell on. And yet here they were, looking utterly pathetic and weak in front of _Daegal_ of all people. Just how low could they honestly _get_?

Something soft brushed against his hand, and he glanced down to see a handkerchief being eased into it by the changeling, who had bent to his knees next to him. Bors opened his mouth to tell him he did not need it.

“Were you the person he was waiting for?” Daegal asked softly.

Grip tightening around the handkerchief, Bors found himself nodding, not sure why he was answering truthfully. “He was the only friend I made in my entire life, the only one other than my aunt who truly cared about me. He was also the only one I could trust to get Celeres to safety.” Flashbacks raced through his mind of those chaotic last minutes, of the promise Sophia had made. He hung his head as his voice broke. “I never made it to Avalon because I died the day I sent him and Celeres away.” He closed his eyes tightly and sniffled. “I can’t believe he waited for me till he died.”

Daegal’s gaze was so intense on his face that Bors could feel it physically. The changeling cleared his throat.“Did you—did you love him?”

The smile that curved his lips was ugly. “I guess I’ll never know.”

There was silence, and then a soft: “I’ve been told I look like him.”

“You’ve been lied to,” Bors assured him with a dark chuckle as he used the handkerchief to wipe at his eyes and face before turning to eye the changeling up and down. “The only thing I see similar between the two of you is your body.”

“He was petite too?” Daegal’s eyes widened in surprise, clearly not having known this.

“Adorably so,” Bors informed him with a nod and shaky laughter as he breathed in and out deeply, finally getting some control over himself once more. “He was a huge heart in a tiny package.”

“Can you… can you tell me more about him?” Daegal asked softly as he rubbed his hands nervously together.

“Not now, I don’t think I can do so without embarrassing myself again,” Bors admitted wryly. “But later? Sure.”

A huge smile took over Daegal’s face as he turned his face up to beam warmly at Bors. “ _Thank you_.”

Gulping loudly, eyes widening, Bors stared at Daegal before he cleared his throat and looked away, running a shaky hand through his hair. “I take it back.” He let out a heavy, uneven series of breaths. “You’ve got his smile.”

Smile growing wider, Daegal grinned, clearly ecstatic to hear this.

Suddenly uncomfortable for some reason, Bors shot up to his feet and put some distance between them, turning his attention from Daegal to the traces of energy which still remained. “So where have you noticed the energy in the castle? And why do you think you and I are the only ones who have noticed it?”

There was silence before Daegal cleared his throat and pushed up to his feet once more. “I don’t think we are, I asked one one the sorcerers and druids in the moresomes and they both confirmed they saw it but they didn’t seem to care, they were more interested in rutting. So I think you and I are the only ones who aren’t getting carried away by the mating fever and are actually paying attention to what the others are ignoring.”

“Why _aren’t_ you affected?” Bors asked curiously. He could get why _he_ wasn’t affected in the same way as the others, he wasn’t technically _alive,_ but what about Daegal? “You’re a changeling. No offense or anything, but changelings are creatures of magic, some would say of dark magic, so why is the Dark Moon not affecting you?”

“Because I’m a _halfling_ , not a _changeling_ ,” Daegal informed him with a sigh, visibly uncomfortable as he admitted this. “I told you, I have Dragonlord in me, even if very faint from very far back. Plus, my father is human, it’s why I wasn’t affected by the changeling potion when it was administered during Valiant’s coronation.”

Ah. That explained a couple of questions that Bors and Sophia had had about the boy. “Well, now that that is settled…” he turned his gaze back to the energy trail. “Is it me or does it seem a bit erratic to you?”

“It definitely appears unfocused,” Daegal agreed as he placed his hands on his hips. “It’s almost as if it’s not sure what it’s doing or how to do what it is doing or know where it’s going. It’s all over the place, and the strength of it keeps changing, going from bursts of intensity to disappearing completely.”

“Could be the work of someone untrained in magic,” Bors mumbled, but even as he did so he doubted it.

“Doesn’t feel like a spell,” Daegal muttered, unknowingly confirming Bors’ own thoughts. “But, despite having said that, I can’t think of a magical being that leaves an energy signature like that though, can you?” He turned to look at Bors curiously.

“Nope.” The redhead shook his head. “But I agree with you, this feels more sentient than actual magic, because the only magic I know that seems to have true sentience is Merlin’s, and this is _not_ his magic. I’ve been up and close with those magics and I know how they feel, they feel _nothing_ like this, and they don’t leave signatures like this one either.”

There was a deep sigh. “So, how do you want to tackle this?”

“You’re letting me take the lead on this investigation?” Bors asked in surprise, having figured he’d have to wrestle the leadership out of the boy’s hands. “I don’t have to pin you down and tickle it out of you?”

“We can both agree that the _last_ mission I led ended in near disaster,” Daegal mumbled with slight petulance in his tone and a flush on his face as he anchored his hands on his narrow hips. “So how I see it, I will be your second in command on this one, and give you any advice or observations I have as needed.”

 _“Sweet_.” Grinning, Bors nodded before his stomach growled. “My first decision as lead investigator is for us to go to the kitchen and get something to eat. We’ll probably have to work around some sort of active orgy while we do so, but I haven’t really eaten in three days and there’s no way I can think hard enough to even begin to tackle a mystery like this one on an empty stomach.”

“How about first we go to your room—-,”

“Daegal, you’re being so forward!” Bors teased.

Face turning absolutely scarlet, Daegal’s mouth opened and closed before he sputtered and tried to stand tall despite his tiny stature. “ _For your clothes_.” He was pouting even worse than before. “I meant we should go to your room _so you can put some clothes on_!” He motioned up and down towards Bors’ naked body. “You need food, I need you clothed. I think it’s a fair compromise.”

“Honestly, Daegal, you’re the only one wearing clothes in the _whole_ castle,” Bors reminded him with a snicker, and yet when Daegal’s pout remained fixed upon him stubbornly he rolled his eyes with a huff and conceded defeat. “ _Fine,”_ he grumbled sulkily while folding his arms over his bare chest. “I’ll put clothes on.”

Grinning brightly at having gotten his way, Daegal nodded to himself. “Good. Now. Let’s go. We’ve got a mystery to solve.”

“And food to eat,” Bors reminded.

“And clothes to put on,” Daegal stressed.

“You and your damned clothes!” Bors huffed as he stormed on ahead.

A giggle of amusement sounded behind him.

If Bors’ lips twitched at the sound he refused to acknowledge it.

* * *

 

“Any idea why we have waterfalls in our bedchambers?” Merlin murmured into Arthur’s shoulder as he sucked marks all over his golden skin. They’d taken a dip in the Diamond Falls, and while the cambion had been very uneasy at first given the toxic nature of these waters, he’d quickly realized Sophia had been right, if these waters were toxic, they weren’t to him, and not to Arthur either. Was it because of the dragon within them?

“No idea, but whatever the reason, I like it,” Arthur admitted breathlessly as he rested on the edge of the water, hands gripping onto the crystals surrounding the pool, his head resting back against Merlin’s shoulder and angled slightly away to offer up more of his neck and shoulder to his lover’s lips and teeth. “This place really feels a lot more like a dragon’s den than a royal bedchamber… but I _really_ like it.”

“It would make sense that this should become a dragon’s den,” Merlin chuckled as he scraped his teeth over the skin of Arthur’s neck. “Is that not where dragons keep their most precious treasure?” His grip around Arthur’s body tightened, pulling the boy completely against him. “Where else would be more suitable for you to be?”

Shivering at those words, Arthur’s lips curled in a happy smile. “I bet you say that to all your mates.”

Amusement escape Merlin’s mouth in a chortle as he nipped playfully on his lover’s neck. “Oh, you bet that, do you?”

“Definitely,” Arthur giggled and then began to squeak and squirm when Merlin started to tickle him mercilessly. “Mer—-! Merl—Merlin _stop!_ ” He tried to escape yet was pinned between the edge of the water and Merlin’s body, unable to shift away from the torment that left his voice high-pitched and breathy. “Hahahahaha! Merlin! _Mer_ lin!”

Rumbling happily into Arthur’s neck, Merlin enjoyed the sounds of his laughter yet finally gave the boy some mercy and stopped tickling, returning to merely holding him close. He breathed in his mate’s scent and, as always, it filled him with tranquility and a sense of belonging. It wasn’t just smooth-talking whenever Merlin told Arthur he was his home, every part of the blonde relaxed and made the cambion feel happy, feel safe, feel like he finally belonged somewhere, to someone.

“Thank you,” he whispered into Arthur’s hair.

“I do a lot of things for you, Merlin,” Arthur declared in a teasing tone. “You’re going to have to be more specific about which you’re being grateful about.”

“For being mine,” Merlin continued to whisper through the knot of emotion in his throat as he tightened his hold on his mate, a part of him still a little terrified he might lose this happiness, this oneness, this belonging. “For putting up with all of the crap I have put you through up until now, and for always acting as if I was something, someone, worth fighting for.”

There was silence, and then a soft, frustrated sigh could be heard. “I hate how little self-worth you have.” Arthur’s hands rested over the ones Merlin had at his midsection. “I hate that you don’t seem able to see yourself the way I see you - the way everyone else sees you. And I _despise_ Tauren and Julius because they _both_ had a hand in making you this way.” He was trembling quite visibly with barely contained rage. “My biggest regret is that they’re not both dead by _my_ hands.”

A tender smile touched Merlin’s lips as he nuzzled his face into Arthur’s hair. He had such a protective little mate. “You’ll just have to be content making sure our children don’t end up as messed up as their father is.”

“Oh, I _will_ make sure they get their self-esteem from _me_ ,” Arthur assured him as his thumbs caressed the hands holding him. “But just because I say that, don’t think I will _not_ spend the rest of our lives making you into a conceited and arrogant son of a bitch!”

Snorting in amusement, Merlin licked Arthur’s neck. “One arrogant partner in a relationship ismore than enough.”

“I am _self-confident_ ,” Arthur grumbled petulantly, which was somehow adorable. “You _really_ need to tell me who told you I was arrogant and a bully before you met me, you know. You keep trying to avoid or change the subject whenever I ask, but that won’t hold up for much longer. You’ll have to give in some day. You can’t keep distracting me every single time you don’t want to answer this question.”

“Why are we still talking about other people?” Merlin wanted to know as he started to rub his cock against the underside of Arthur’s shaft.

“ _Mer_ lin!” Arthur whimpered breathlessly as his body immediately reacted to the touch. “You’re doing it again!”

“Hmmmm?” The cambion asked distractedly as he enjoyed the feeling of his cock teasing the underside of Arthur’s.

“This… is… _cheating_!” Arthur’s grip shifted from his hands to the edge of the pool, gripping onto the crystals once more, which glowed under his touch.

“ _You_ are the one cheating, my love.” Merlin groaned as his cock pulsated with pleasure. “What a natural tease you are. Every part of your body seems to have been designed to entice me into it.”

“Oh, you’re going to actually try and blame this on me?” Despite his words, there was laughter in Arthur’s tone. “I suppose that next you’ll—!” His voice broke into a tortured sob the second Merlin couldn’t stop himself anymore and unhooked his arms from around Arthur to instead play with his nipples. “ ** _Mer_** _lin_ …. _”_

“Yes, wife?” Merlin sucked in Arthur’s earlobe and played with it the way he usually would those rosy nubs. He purred as Arthur’s body twitched under his rough ministrations as he rolled those hard nubs between the pads of his fingers and pulled on them, squeezing tightly, roughly, feeling Arthur’s hips jerk with each and every one.

Instead of answering, Arthur let out tortured cries as he reached behind him to sink his fingers into Merlin’s hair, his fingertips massaging the cambion’s scalp caressingly. It was more than obvious that his mate was not only enjoying the attention, but rewarding Merlin for having done so without his asking.

All around them the crystals glowed serenely, and the water around them reflected that light like diamonds, causing diamond-like reflections to be cast on the walls all around them enchantingly.

Neither noticed, both too wrapped up in each other to care about the rest of the world.

* * *

 

“I feel ridiculous,” Bors complained as he tugged on the loose shirt tucked into his trousers. “No one else is wearing clothes. We stand out.”

“I thought you _liked_ to stand out,” Daegal snickered good-naturedly. “You wear dresses all the time… _as Bors_. And Sophia likes to wear trousers. Standing out is… it’s second nature for you, isn’t it?”

Not quite sure whether he was being complimented or not, Bors’ eyes narrowed and his lips pursed in thought. “I suppose…”

“I don’t know how you can handle it,” Daegal admitted with a little shiver. “I prefer to be in the background where no one can pay any attention to me whatsoever. When the Elders told me I was to come to Mercia and take charge of this mission I nearly fainted! But I understood why I was sent, and that it was an honor, especially since I could be close to the Prince and assist him by feeding him, and by keeping an eye on the dangers around him.” He sighed. “When I found out the Prince made a deal with Valiant to keep me safe from retribution for my actions, all without realizing _why_ I had done what I had, I realized that he truly was someone I wanted to protect and serve.” He smiled softly. “It made what I’d had to do worth it.”

This was not the first time Daegal had allowed slip the fact that he’d been utterly disgusted at having to tup with Valiant, and it made Bors a little uncomfortable. If he was being honest, Bors really hadn’t given Daegal much thought until it was revealed that he was more than he pretended to be. The boy had merely been the sacrifice that kept Arthur safe, and yet now, looking back, he felt a little guilty. They should’ve all wondered and asked themselves what would make someone actually agree to be with Valiant when no one else would for countless years.

Despite the twinge of guilt, Bors also felt understanding and a smidgeon of respect. Hadn’t he done something similar in an attempt to keep _his_ princes safe?

“Do you truly have some fae in you or was that a part of your cover story?” Daegal wanted to know curiously as he glanced up at Bors through his dark eyelashes. “Surely you were not purely Dragonlord, none have ever had the ability to change genders the way you do. Not even the Prince.”

“I was half demon, not fae,” Bors replied, still not sure why he was being so truthful with the smaller boy. Just because he was Sein’s descendant didn’t mean anything. Bors needed to get a better grip on himself before he did something stupid.

“Oh.” Daegal lowered his gaze immediately, his voice odd.

An ugly smile curved Bors’ lips. Here was the reaction he’d been expecting, the utter disappointment once the halfling realized just what his ancestor’s friend had truly been. It was a look Bors knew would be shared by those in the castle should they truly know what flowed through his veins.

“No _wonder_ the Prince gets along with you and trusts you so completely,” Daegal whispered with a sigh. “You’re _like him_.” He then glanced up at Bors, his hands clenched at his sides, clear jealousy in his eyes. “When I found out you were not just Lancelot’s cousin - that you were actually bound to Excalibur - I wondered whether _that_ was the reason why the Prince trusted you so quickly and so easily. But I see that’s not it. In the castle you’re the only one who is similar to him. Even if it’s not the same sort of demon, you’re still much more similar to him than _I_ ever will be.”

Blinking in surprise at the realization to the true reason why Daegal had looked so unhappy when he’d heard his heritage, Bors cleared his throat and looked away as he ran his fingers through his hair. “I would appreciate it if you kept this knowledge to yourself. The only ones who know the truth are Merlin, Arthur, and Kay.”

“ _Kay_?” Daegal sounded incredibly disbelieving and unhappy at that revelation. “I understand the Prince and the Mate knowing - but why _him?”_

“It wasn’t actually my choice for him to find out,” Bors admitted sheepishly. “It all just came out and he was there so _he knows_. Not _everything_ , but he definitely knows more than I am comfortable with him knowing.” He sent the much smaller figure a curious sideways look. “And why do you keep referring to Merlin as ‘the Prince’? Shouldn’t he be ‘the King’ by now? He actually _is_ king.”

A blush pinkened Daegal’s cheeks. “Habit. I have been calling him ‘the Prince’ for so long that it’s hard to kick.” He seemed to sense Bors’ amusement at that because he pouted once more as he glared up at him. “Oh, is that very funny?”

“It is a little,” Bors chuckled before he froze, feeling another burst of energy.

Daegal froze at the same time, looking in the same direction. “Whatever it is, it’s getting stronger.”

“I know.” Bors narrowed his eyes. “I don’t like it one bit.”

Sighing, he brought his hand to his head. _Arthur? I know you’re probably very pissed to hear my voice right now since I am no doubt interrupting whatever you and the Dragon King are doing, but I need to let you know about a situation which has come up in the castle during your absence._

There was silence, and then a distracted, somewhat frustrated **What?** could be heard. **I’m a little busy right now, Bors**. This was quickly followed by a very heavy sigh. **But you know that already, which means that whatever came up is bothering you enough to contact me despite that… So what is it? What is happening?**

_There’s an anomalous energy source that’s been growing stronger over the last three days. Daegal and I are trying to figure out what it is and what it wants, but on the off-chance that it somehow gets to where you guys are I want you to be alert and keep an eye on your surroundings._

**My surroundings are fine. The crystals are glowing and making the water reflect on the walls like flickering diamonds. I hadn’t noticed it before, it’s pretty, but that’s about it.** There was a pause, and then an intrigued: **Why are you only telling me and not Merlin as well?**

A smile twitched on his lips. _If I told the Dragon King he’d be worried at the possibility that the source of the anomalous energy could be a threat towards you. He is so overprotective whenever it comes to your wellbeing that he’d probably leave you there to go and check it out himself. I doubted you’d appreciate that, especially when Daegal and I are more than capable of investigating and assessing this possible threat ourselves._

There was more silence, and then. **This is why I like you and Sophia, Bors. Good job. Report back to me if you discover anything that needs reporting.** It was clear he didn’t want there to be anything to be reported, not because that would mean a danger for the castle, but because it would no doubt end in Merlin doing exactly as Bors had predicted he would.

 _Will do_ , Bors promised before letting his hand fall from his forehead. “Arthur wants us to only report back to him if we find anything worth interrupting him for.”

Daegal stared up at him with a growing frown. “When the Mate just _appeared_ in Avalon I figured you must have some sort of connection with him, but I didn’t expect it to be as strong as a telepathic bond.” A muscle ticked in his cheek as he huffed and folded his arms over his chest. “You’re even more impressive than I’d already realized.”

Eyes widening at that huff, Bors looked him up and down. “Are you trying to sweeten me up for some specific reason?”

“I’m not _sweetening_ you up,” Daegal huffed in further annoyance as that bottom lip poked out. “I’m _complaining._ I’m frustrated and annoyed. You’re too perfect. How am I supposed to ever measure up to that? How am I supposed to compete?”

Very confused and somewhat lost, Bors tilted his head to the side. “You’ve lost me. What are you talking about?”

“The Mate _hates_ us, me in particular,” Daegal reminded with a heavy sigh as he rolled his head back. “I’m supposed to try and find a way out of his ‘black book’, but how exactly am I supposed to do this when you’re so perfect?”

Blinking once, twice, three times, Bors continued to stare down at him. “I don’t see how one thing has to do with the other?”

“You’re not even going to deny the fact that you’re perfect,” Daegal bemoaned, clearly getting very depressed. “I have no chance, do I? If I could have _one ounce_ of your self-esteem I could probably rule the world.”

“I still feel like you’re trying to sweeten me up,” Bors admitted as he stood awkwardly and rubbed the back of his own head.

“I’m still complaining!” Daegal grumbled at him and stomped his foot adorably. “The Mate chose you over Kay, who _should_ have been his First Knight. You two are able to talk telepathically. He _trusts_ you to handle a potentially dangerous situation with minimal input and basically no supervision.” He puffed out his cheeks in annoyance. “I have no chance, no way, to impress him. Not while you are so - so - so damned impressive! You’re tall, attractive in _either_ form, able to fight with weapons, clearly you can use magic, _and_ you are basically the Queen’s Knight. You’re infuriating, really. If I could reach your handsome face while on my tiptoes I might be tempted to punch it, even if only so you wouldn’t be so damned perfect.”

“You’ve _really_ got to learn how to complain or insult better,” Bors mumbled in embarrassment. “It still feels like you’re just complimenting me.”

“I’m _not_ ,” Daegal grumbled, looking more like an unhappy puppy than anything to really be worried about. He then sighed and lowered his head. “But it’s not _your_ fault that you’re so - you - while I’m so - me.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Bors asked curiously, and when Daegal glared up heatedly at him he raised his hands immediately in a pacifying gesture. “I’m being serious! What exactly is so very wrong about you? I don’t see anything.”

“Don’t be patronizing.”

“I’m _not_.” Rolling his eyes, Bors made his observation of the halfling very obvious. “You infiltrated a castle guarded by the most powerful magic user to date and not only managed to have a huge operation going on without him even suspecting it until outside forces interfered, but you also managed to _capture_ him _and_ me. Sure, you’re a tiny package, and _sure_ , I can get as a man how that might be frustrating, but you’ve clearly got heart _and_ guts. You slept with _Valiant_ of all people because you were smart enough to realize he was an actual threat, and because you knew that being with him would allow you access to places and people you needed. You did all of this, and stuff we probably don’t even know about, all while staying under the radar while still doing your job.” He raised an eyebrow. “I’m not being patronizing. That’s damned impressive.”

The flush that darkened Daegal’s face was no longer fueled by annoyance as he stared up wide-eyed at Bors, his lips parted slightly. “I—I just did what I was supposed to.” He cleared his throat and licked his lips as he looked away. “Anyone would have done what I did if they were in my position.”

“I wouldn’t have slept with an ogre like Valiant,” Bors denied immediately, shivering at the very thought. Even back in his days he’d had standards regarding who he allowed to tup him or be tupped by him. Valiant would have never made the cut, instead Bors would have targeted someone close enough to Valiant who would be able to unknowingly act as a spy for him. “I’d have found a way around _that_ one.”

Daegal’s lips twitched, amusement shining on his face as he glanced up at Bors through his dark eyelashes once more. “It wouldn’t have worked even if you had tried. He was, oddly enough, always very uneasy around you.”

“Yeah, I noticed that,” Bors remembered with a little snicker, always having been somewhat proud of that weird reaction. “Did you ever figure out _why_ he acted so weird around me? I couldn’t come up with a reason myself and it always bugged me. Not the fact that he didn’t like me, just the _why_.”

“No, I never did find out, even though I tried more than once. Valiant never wanted to answer whenever I asked, he’d always just huff that I was imagining things, or ignore the question altogether,” the halfling admitted with a half-shrug. “Once, when he was _really_ drunk, he said that a person shouldn’t be able to change from a boy to girl the way you did, that it was unnatural. That it was like tricking men into sleeping with a woman. He was very misogynistic so a part of me thinks he was just weirded out by your ability, but I guess now we’ll never know for sure.”

“Well, I guess he was right in some ways,” Bors admitted darkly with a sharp little smile. “It _isn’t_ natural.”

A frown touched Daegal’s face as he looked up at him. “Don’t say that.”

“Why not?” Bors chuckled and tried to play it off as nothing, as unimportant. “It’s the truth, isn’t it? If it were natural there’d be more people able to do this, to be two different people. But there aren’t any, not even one other. It’s just me. It means I’m unnatural… I was unnatural even _before_ I died and became… _this._ ”

“Did you not hear the rant I went on two minutes ago?” Daegal huffed at him in frustration. “Why the hell are you feeling sorry for yourself? You’re _perfect_. And _this_ time, I’m very reluctantly complimenting you _on purpose_.”

Unable to stop the amusement that flooded into him at that, Bors chuckled as his smile softened from its hard edges. “I see.” He leaned in closer and grinned down teasingly at the halfling. “You should have just come right out and declared your undying love for me from the start. Howutterly adorable.”

Face turning scarlet, Daegal sputtered out as his mouth opened and closed wordlessly before he finally got out: “ _I’m not in love with you_!”

“You protest a bit _too_ much,” Bors teased, very grateful to be able to change the topic so successfully.

“Because it’s protestable!” Daegal assured him with a glare.

“How very _tsundere_ of you, Daegal,” Bors declared cheekily as he walked away in the direction of the last energy spike.

“ _What does that even mean_?” The boy wanted to know from behind him as he hurried to catch up.

“It’s a fan term,” Bors explained.

“Fan?” Daegal made up his face as he caught up and walked very quickly so his shorter legs could keep in pace with Bors’ longer stride. “Do you mean like a hand fan?” He mimed using one such fan.

“No. Very different.” Bors shook his head. “Enough about that for now though, we have a mission to do and a Queen to impress.” He eyed the short boy with a smile. “It won’t be enough to have your slate wiped clean, but I’m sure handling whatever this is and keeping him from being interrupted mid estrus will _definitely_ win you some brownie points.” With that he walked on ahead.

“That would be great,” Daegal whispered hopefully behind him, before he suddenly asked: “What are brownie points?”

Grinning, Bors continued walking on, and easily changed the subject when Daegal hurriedly caught up with him once more.


	5. Chapter 5

“Maybe we imagined it.”

“We didn’t imagine it.”

“Maybe we hallucinated it.”

“We didn’t hallucinate it.”

Bors licked his lips as he watched Roland riding Sir Lindsay with the same passion and desire as usual. The Dark Moon really hadn’t made their rutting any more intense than it usually was, and Bors was curious as to how exactly they’d come to be in such a lust-filled relationship. He knew the boy had been Sir Lindsay’s ward before becoming his lover, and that wasn’t a strange thing in Mercia, it was why - from what he’d heard from those in the castle - everyone had expected Bayard to take Merlin as his lover when he’d first brought him in as his ward. But had Sir Lindsay taken Roland in as a ward with the intention of making him his lover, or had Roland merely become his lover after becoming his ward? Whichever it was, those two were incredibly into each other, and it was hot as hell.

A slap hit him on the back of his head. “Pay attention.”

“Hey!” Bors rubbed his head and frowned as he turned his attention back onto Daegal, whose cheek was ticking in clear annoyance. “ _What_? Nothing is happening right now! _And I was only_ ** _watching_** _._ ”

“You’re ‘lead investigator’, as you put it,” Daegal reminded him with a grumble. “Act the part or I will take it from you.”

“Nothing happened yesterday evening  _or_ last night,” Bors grumbled with a heavy sigh. “Maybe whatever it was… just _stopped_?”

“When does _anything_ around here just _stop_?” Daegal wanted to know rebelliously from where he sat next to Bors on the ground of one of the castle gardens. This was where they’d last sensed the energy the evening before, and Daegal had insisted they stay there until they felt the energy again, so here they were, the next day, watching others have fun while they were ‘on the job’.

Bors’ opened his mouth to mention such a time where they’d been lucky - only to realize it really had never happened - and so he sighed and threw himself back on the grass with a growl. “I can’t believe I’m going to miss the Dark Week because of this! Why couldn’t this damned energy have happened _after_  Dark Week was over?”

“You can tup with the whole castle any day of the week,” Daegal muttered in a no-nonsense sort of way. “I don’t see why it’s so important to do it _this week_.”

“It is different!” Bors couldn’t believe the halfling was even asking this. “I’m half demon! Daegal! Even if I’m _this_ , I am still _that_!”

Daegal’s eyes widened and a blush tinted his skin. “Oh.” He lowered his gaze and rubbed his hands together. “I hadn’t thought… since you’re half demon that’s half darkness… means the Dark Moon must be affecting you, even if in a different way than it is everyone else.” He looked up at Bors through his eyelashes. “Why haven’t you turned into a mindless beast like the rest of them? Is it _because_ you are half demon?”

Shrugging, Bors sighed heavily as he looked away. “It's because I’m not technically alive, I suppose. A lot of things are different for me because of that, but I’m alive _enough_ that, well…” He shifted as he tried to find a more comfortable position on the grass. “I’m not made of _steel_ , you know.” He huffed and leaned back on his palms. “Plus, again, I’m half demon, a part of me craves watching others sink to these depths alongside me.”

There was silence, and then a soft: “Do you want me to… help… you?”

Eyes wide, Bors swung his head to stare at the halfling who was flushed darkly yet refusing to meet his gaze. The two-in-one opened his mouth only to close it and look away, digging his fingers deep into the grass. “Do I look like Valiant to you?”

Daegal flinched, and out of the corner of his eye he could see the boy swing his face towards him.

“You don’t have to force yourself to do anything like that ever again, Daegal, not to get a job done, and not even for Merlin. He wouldn’t want you to anyway.” Something odd twisted inside of Bors’ chest, something that made him unable to look at the younger boy. “I get why you offer,believe me, if there’s anyone here who understand it it would be Merlin and I, but it pisses me off that you’re putting me in the same category as Valiant.” His lips twitched into a nasty smile. “Next thing you’ll be telling someone else about how you had to do _me_ for the good of the kingdom. And then I’d have to punch the shit out of you myself.”

“Why are you—-I did not mean it that—!”

Swiftly pushing himself to his feet, knowing he was irrationally getting angry with the halfling, Bors turned his back on him. “Stay here. I’ll be back. I need to go check on something in the castle.”

The sound of Daegal hurrying to his feet could be heard behind him. “Bors, I didn’t mean it like—!”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to be irresponsible, forget the mission, and just tup,” Bors interrupted as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “I need to go check up on Kay. I don’t trust him not to do something stupid while I’m not around to beat him into shape so I had Sir Killian do me a favor. I need to see whether he’s ready to tap out, and if so, I’ll bring in someone else to keep Kay busy. And then I’ll be back to deal with this damned energy so you can win some points with Arthur and I can just do whatever the hell I want.”

“Don’t be like—.”

Bors walked away, annoyed with himself more than with Daegal. Just what the hell was going on with him? Daegal had truly done nothing to deserve him getting so upset and acting out like this. If anything Daegal had been trying to help, and the logical solution would have been to rut the halfling into the ground, and yet Bors didn’t feel very logical right now. It annoyed and frustrated him to no end.

Clearly Daegal being Sein’s descendant had affected him somewhat. Or maybe just hearing about Sein’s life, about the fact that he hadn’t forgotten about their promise - that he’d kept it his whole life - maybe it had messed Bors up more than he wanted to admit, and he was taking out his frustration on Daegal, who was blameless in this whole matter. It was very probably that, if he was being honest. He’d _known_ he shouldn’t ask, he’d _known_ that nothing good could have come from dredging up his past. And yet…

Sein’s smiling face flashed before his eyes, and with it Bors felt that disgusting prickling in his own eyes as tears fell. He didn’t brush them away because should Daegal be looking in his direction it’d be obvious to him that he was crying, and damn it, Bors needed to keep his pride intact. But it was hard, especially when more and more images of Sein, and his smile, assailed him.

 _I wish I could have met with you in Avalon_ , he and Sophia whispered in harmony, their pain a broken symphony that he was not ready to acknowledge.

* * *

 

They’d finally made it to their new ‘bed’, and while Arthur had found Merlin’s expression quite comical when he’d seen it, the blonde had shoved his mate onto the wolf fur and murmured about ‘breaking it in’. That had been hours ago, and yet he was far from complaining.

Laying on his back, Arthur’s knees were bent and tilted wide, his feet planted on the wolf fur. His head was thrown back, his mouth parted, and a tortured moan slipped as slowly from his lips as the cambion lying with all of his weight on top of him was thrusting. Merlin fit perfectly between his thighs, his breaths deep and revelrous, his hips the only part of him that was moving as he slowly loved into the boy trapped beneath him.

Arthur didn’t know whether it was because it was the fourth day, or whether it was because those four days had been spent with his body receiving all the loving it had begged for, but the desperate need from the first couple of days was gone. While he still whimpered and urged Merlin on should he stop for any amount of time, Arthur was more than content - was extremely happy - to now allow himself to be made loved to instead of brutally fucked.

Hell, he was _really_ enjoying this. His own orgasms were not as quick and overwhelming this way, but he still loved the feeling. In this position he could feel the way Merlin’s heart was racing so rapidly against his chest, his skin could absorbed each and every groan his mate let out, and his body was so incredibly relaxed deep within that that cock continuously ticked the inside of his ‘womb’. Arthur’s hands roamed his lover’s back, massaging his muscles encouragingly, trying to convey everything his sudden loss of vocabulary could not.

“ _So goooooooooood_ ,” Merlin praised as he shifted his head to begin pressing adoring kisses up Arthur’s neck. “Can’t we just let everyone continue to believe we are already married… and start the sequestering right after the Dark Week ends?”

“I want to marry you for real.” Arthur found his ability to speak once more in order to protest this plea despite the fact that he was sorely tempted to skip said wedding and just jump into the honeymoon, like Merlin was suggesting. When Merlin whined like a spoiled child against his neck Arthur’s lips twitched and he had to double his resolve. “We’re getting married, Merlin. That’s final.”

“But you’re already my wife in every way that matters,” Merlin complained as he pressed his hips harder into the boy.

“You _promised.”_ Arthur’s voice turned breathy as he arched his back as best he could while so utterly trapped. He could feel his flush of arousal hotter on his body, especially his neck and cheeks, but at least Merlin’s body was just as heated as his, proving he wasn’t the only one so incredibly affected by their love making.

Whimpering like a kicked puppy, Merlin nuzzled his face into Arthur’s neck. “ _Fine_.” He ran the flat of his tongue over Arthur’s rapidly beating pulse. “But don’t blame me if I start fucking you during the ceremony.”

“You _beast_.” Digging his nails into Merlin’s back, Arthur shuddered at the imagery, offering more of his neck to his mate. “Are you telling me you cannot bear to be outside of my body for as long as a wedding ceremony?”

“Not with the way your slutty little hole is clenching around me and gushing just at the thought,” Merlin hissed in his ear, his voice tickling Arthur and sending tingles into him. “I have changed my mind, wife, I will _look forwards_ to our wedding.”

* * *

 

“What are you thinking about?”

Owain sat with his knees hugged to his chest, his gaze out to the sparkling water around the sanctuary islands. Next to him, lying down on the same blanket he was, was Lucan, who was snoring very loudly as he cuddled up with the toy that his parents had given him before sending him off with Owain. The boy was clearly missing his fathers greatly and as such was behaving incredibly clingy with Owain, but Owain didn't mind it. In fact, looking after Lucan and keeping him company kept Owain blissfully busy. It was only moments like these, while Lucan was asleep, that Owain was left with his thoughts. He hated what moments of silence and tranquility brought him.

" _Owain..._ " that voice sighed.

He continued to stare at the water, and almost didn’t answer her, and yet the words slipped from his lips before he even realized he’d spoken. “I miss him _so much,_ Gana. It hurts.”

“I know it does.” Sighing, Morgana sat down next to him and stared out at the water as well. “You must think me cruel and heartless to be able to enjoy myself and life so fully despite… everything.”

“I don’t,” Owain whispered in a choked sound as he gripped his knees even tighter than before. “I know that while you loved Bayard as well, that Gwen is the one you shared the connection with. She is to you what he was to me.” He clenched his fists into his trousers tightly. “I don’t want you to think that I am ungrateful, because I am happy to have had him as long as I did, and I know he loved me… it’s just that…” He let out a stuttered breath. “A part of me resents the fact that, because of the curse, I was never able to be his Consort. All I could be, at least in everyone’s eyes, was his manservant.”

“I think anyone with eyes knew you were more than that to him,” Morgana replied immediately as she leaned back on her elbows. “Owain, the only reason you were not Consort was the same reason why he married me.” She angled her head to stare into his face. “In Bayard’s life you were the only person he didn’t feel expendable. He loved Merlin and I greatly, I’ll never deny it, but we also served a purpose for him. You, on the other hand, were someone he loved so greatly he preferred to die than to lose you.” She reached out and placed her hand on his knee. “He would not want you spending the life he died for so miserable and alone.”

“Are you telling me to tup someone and forget him?” Owain’s voice broke, the boy unable to believe what he was hearing.

“No. Never forget him.” Morgana’s grip on his knee tightened as her expression turned tender. “But one day you will learn how to keep him in your heart while allowing enough space in it for someone else as well.” She must’ve read the denial on his face because she quickly hurried on. “You are young, Owain, and it would be tragic if you lived the rest of your life in mourning. I do not want that for you, neither does Gwen, neither does Merlin, and neither would Bayard.” Her lips twitched. “Sure, he’d be jealous as hell if he knew about you learning to love another, but he’d also understand. Remember, Owain, that he found you after his wife died. He learnt to love again by being with you, and he loved you _fiercely_. He would want the same for you. Bayard would want you to be happy, even if it was with someone other than him.”

Owain gulped, emotion clogging his throat and making it hard to speak, so he wasn’t surprised that his voice was so strained when he whispered: “I don’t know if I want to get over him. I love him so much, Morgana, I _still_ do. He’s been dead for what feels like years and yet my feelings haven’t changed, haven’t lessened.” He reached down to grab the hand she’d been gripping his knee with. “I think he’s going to be the only person I ever love.”

Sighing, Morgana drew him close and held him tightly as he cried. Her gaze rose to the heavens, and she prayed to whichever gods or spirits might be listening for that not to be true, for this boy to find happiness.

* * *

 

Bors peeked into the dungeons, finding more men there than had been there the evening before when he’d hauled a passed out Kay there with Killian’s help. He’d known he couldn’t trust Kay not to do something monumentally stupid, and he wasn’t sure _why_ he was trying to protect the asshole, but in his own twisted way that was exactly what Bors was doing. That was why he’d not only brought Kay down into the dungeons, but had locked him in a cell with Killian and left to try and figure out where the hell that energy was coming from.

Others seemed to have gotten the same idea and were locked in different cells, mostly groups of men trapping themselves in with one or two lucky servants who were getting all the attention to themselves.

Kay, on the other hand, was only locked in with Killian, but he didn’t seem to mind that whatsoever.

Killian sat on the crude bench inside of the cell, his large hands easily holding Kay’s hips proprietarily as he sucked marks on the knight’s chest.

Kay, for his part, was not only straddling Killing’s lap, but was leaning back with his hands on the larger man’s powerful thighs as he used this leverage to roll his hips and fuck himself on the cock buried inside of him. His head was tilted back, his lips parted, and his eyes glassy in disoriented pleasure. There were marks and bruises all over his body from fingers and teeth digging in, as well as marks which had been sucked all over his skin. His cock was not only incredibly hard, but trembling and gushing down pre-cum which left it glistening and visibly sticky.

Stopping the rolling of his hips to try and adjust his grip on the larger man’s thighs, Kay whimpered when Killian reached up to grab his hair viciously.

“Did I say you could stop?”

A shiver raced its way down his body as his cock spurted a bit more pre-cum. “ _No_.”

“Then what the hell are you doing?” Killian snarled dangerously.

“I was slipping,” Kay whimpered in a meek tone Bors had never heard before. “I didn’t want to fall.”

“Are you saying I am not strong enough to keep you up?” Killian shifted to grip and knead Kay’s asscheeks roughly, adding more bruises to what were already there. “Are you doubting my strength, Kay?”

“ _I’m not!”_ Kay surged forwards and wrapped his arms around Killian’s neck, arching his hips to offer his ass better for the abuse.

Killian noticed Bors then and his scowl turned quickly into a shit-eating grin as he lifted one hand from Kay’s ass to wave at the redhead.

 _‘You okay to remain there for a while more?’_ Bors mouthed.

‘ _Definitely_ ,’ Killian mouthed back immediately before smirking. ‘ _You were right. He really DOES like being manhandled_.’

‘ _Told ya_ ,’ Bors mouthed back with a grin.

“ _Don’t be mad_ …” Kay begged as he wriggled on Killian’s lap and pressed kisses up and down the side of his face. “ _Don’t stop._ ”

Returning his attention to Kay, Killian’s scowl returned as he grabbed the knight’s ass harder. “Are you giving me _orders_?”

“ _Noooooooooo_.” Kay’s voice went guttural as his grip around Killian’s neck tightened, his hips bucking harder. “Begging. _Begging_.”

“Oh, I see.” Killian’s voice rumbled in approval as he spoke low in Kay’s ear. “What are you begging for?”

“ _Please let me cum again_ ,” Kay begged so openly it shocked Bors.

“What do I get out of that arrangement?” Killian asked even as his grip rocked that ass on his cock harder.

“ _Anything_ ,” Kay sobbed as gooseflesh raised on his skin.

“ ** _Anything_**?” Killian chuckled darkly. “You sure you want to promise that?”

“ _Yes! Yes!_ ** _Please_** _!”_

The energy burst brightly in the garden Bors had left Daegal in, and the redhead froze in horror at the violence of that burst. Had it done something to Daegal now that the boy had been left alone? Had it _waited_ for Bors to leave?

_Idiot! You should have kept your stupid emotions in check! You shouldn’t have left him alone! What if he’s hurt right now - or worse - because of you!?_

Face twisted in worry, Bors turned on his heel to race back out only to stumble to a stop when he found Daegal _there_.

Standing with his shoulder leaning into the doorway, displeasure was obvious on Daegal’s face as he stood there, arms folded over his chest, and gaze on the cell containing Kay and Killian. The halfling seemed to be staring at the two like one might a failed science experiment that was incredibly disappointing, before he finally turned his gaze onto Bors as a muscle ticked in his cheek. “ _This_ was what was so important you had to leave and make us miss that energy returning?”

“I didn’t ask you to come,” Bors reminded him in surprise, deciding to ignore the fact that he was actually relieved the boy was here and not where the energy had just manifested. “In fact, I distinctly remember telling you to stay.”

Daegal’s eyes narrowed on him as his annoyance visibly grew. “I’m taking back control of this investigation.”

“ _Excuse_ me?” Bors squeaked in shock, having expected an argument to start given Daegal’s clear frustration, but not having expected those words to be the ones to start it.

“You’re clearly more interested in the rutting, and in _Kay,_ to prioritize this mission, which is whatyou should be doing. Yesterday you were completely useless because you spent the whole time with _him_ , and the day before you were with Lancelot and _Cassius,_ so even though I went to look for—you need to get control of yourself and be a useful, contributing member of this team. I will _not_ be doing this alone. You’ll be a functioning member even if I have to _force_ you to be one.” Daegal threatened as he shifted to lean with his back against the doorway, his chin raised him and his gaze turned away from the redhead. “The Pri— _King_ —and Queen could be in danger, and since you are too proud to allow me to help you get a hold of your libido I’m taking back control.”

“You know, that sort of attitude might work with the changelings, but it sure as hell doesn’t work with _me_ ,” Bors declared as he took the steps upwards one by one before going to stand next to Daegal in the doorway, slamming his fist into the doorframe over Daegal’s head as he leaned in and glared down at the shorter, smaller halfling. A part of him was incredibly impressed by the way Daegal tilted his head back and met his glare head-on with one of his own, not flinching or backing down despite the obvious difference in their statures. “Honestly, given you _clearly_ think I’m a monster driven by my impulses - just like _Valiant_ was - one which you have to _drag around_ to make any use of, I don’t see why we’re even still in this partnership. You should just investigate on your own and I’ll continue on my own.”

A barrage of emotions fluttered over Daegal’s face as his frown grew. He did not break eye-contact however, but it was clear he was unnerved for some reason. “I didn’t _mean_ it that way.” His voice lacked the anger and defiance which were quite obvious in his expression. “Why did you have to take it that way?”

Once more not entirely sure how to take Daegal’s actions, or how to handle Daegal himself, Bors clenched the fist he’d slammed into the wall above Daegal’s head. “How exactly do you expect me to take you offering to _help_ me right after telling me twice about how you did Valiant, and everything else, for Merlin’s sake? I’m not a fucking monster, Daegal. I don’t _need_ your selfless sacrifice. So don’t worry, you’ll be able to keep your damned clothes clean throughout the whole Dark Week because you’re the _only person_ in this whole damned castle that I have no intention of fucking _touching_.”

“Why can’t you get that I don’t mean it like that?” Daegal asked softly before he reached out and clutched at the material of Bors’ shirt, clenching his hand into a fist around it. “I won’t apologize because I never thought any of that so I haven’t done anything wrong. Just…” He stared up at Bors through his dark eyelashes. “I need you to believe me. I am smart enough to understand the difference between someone like Valiant and someone like you. And don’t be mad at me anymore. I don’t like it when you are. We’re supposed to be allies.” His grip on Bors’ shirt was so tight his fist shook. “I want to solve this mystery with you, as a team.”

Opening his mouth, Bors found himself unable to really say anything, and so he closed it and sighed heavily as he glanced away. He then glanced down to where Daegal’s shaky grip held on tightly to his shirt, no doubt wrinkling the material. The halfling clearly wasn’t about to let him go if he didn’t ‘stop being mad’ at him, and honestly, this resolve was fascinating. “We _are_ allies, idiot.”

“You’re not acting like one.” Daegal pouted.

Bors’ annoyance and anger bled out of him terrifyingly quickly as he grinned down teasingly at the halfling. “Are you pouting?”

“Of course not.” Daegal pouted darker as a flush spread over his cheeks. He cleared his throat and looked away while shifting his weight awkwardly on his feet. “Are we okay now? Are you not angry anymore?”

“Sure.” Bors pushed away, or he would have, but Daegal’s grip remained like steel on his shirt. He glanced down at that shaking grip once more before glancing at the boy curiously. “You want to let go?”

“No.” Daegal glared up at him. “I don’t believe you. You don’t sound or seem sincere. I think you’re just _saying_ that, but that you still think _I_ think you’re like Valiant.”

“You want to kiss and make up? _Fine_.” It had been partly fueled by frustration at Daegal and partly fueled by frustration at himself. Either way, when Bors swooped down and kissed the boy it was meant to be quick and dirty, to provoke the boy into finally letting go and shoving him away.

That wasn’t exactly what happened.

Maybe it was the Dark Moon. Maybe it was the waves of arousal that seemed to ripple out from the ley lines themselves. Maybe it was his anger. Maybe it was the emotional rollercoaster he’d been going through.

Bors wasn’t sure what to blame, but the second his mouth brushed roughly against Daegal’s the redhead lost the ability to _think_.

He wasn’t even quite sure how it happened, or how long it had been going on, but once his presence of mind finally returned he found himself standing straight, hands on Daegal’s ass, easily bearing the petite male’s weight as he kissed him roughly. The halfling was pinned between Bors and the doorway, his legs curled around Bors’ waist, his arms tightly around his neck. He let out tiny sobs and whimpers into Bors’ mouth.

The clothes Daegal had somehow managed to keep pristine four days into the Dark Week were utterly crumpled, and it was the sight of these clothes which shocked Bors back into reality.

Putting Daegal back down, the second the boy’s feet touched the ground Bors slipped free and quickly turned away from him, giving him his back as he tried to understand exactly what had just happened to him. He ran his shaky fingers through his own red hair and tried to get his breathing under control. Just what the _hell_ had happened to him? Hadn’t he _just_ told Daegal that he was the only person Bors would not touch in the whole damned castle?

Cursing darkly in his mind, Bors spun around to apologize, only to freeze at what he saw.

Sometime during the brief moment that Bors had kept his back turned, Daegal had apparently slid down the doorway, almost as if his legs didn’t have the strength to keep him up. His clothes were crumpled and his skin covered in a flush as he stared up at Bors, his eyes wide, his pupils blown, his lips parted as heavy breaths escaped.

Even though he’d already been rearing to go, Bors hardened even more, forcing himself to drop to his knees to try and hide how affected he was. There was no way he’d let anyone see how he’d reacted to a damned kiss! And it hadn’t even been from Cassius - who’d been his secret and well-kept crush ever since he’d followed Merlin and Arthur to Mercia!

Bors fought his own blush and grit his teeth in embarrassment. “Are you okay?” His voice sounded strained even to himself.

“Hmmmm?” Daegal sounded and looked distracted.

Snapping his fingers in front of the boy’s face, Bors was a little relieved when his eyes became more focused. “I’m sorry for just attacking you like that. It totally ruined my whole self-righteous rant.” He ran his fingers through his hair once more and glared down at his crotch, ordering it to calm the fuck down already. “How about we go back and try to figure out why that energy blast was so violent back in the gardens?”

Daegal was silent for a moment, and then he finally mumbled: “We need to stop by my room first.”

Just how fussy was he about clothes? But this could probably work in Bors’ favor given he still needed some time to get himself completely back under control. “Okay. I’ll go on ahead and you meet me in the gardens when you’re—.” He looked down when he realized Daegal had reached out quickly to grab his shirt once more. Bors’ wide-eyed gaze followed that tightly gripped fist all the way back to find Daegal scowling off to their right, his flush darker than ever. “You want me to come with you?”

“Safer that way,” Daegal mumbled under his breath, apparently unable or unwilling to look in his direction as he said that.

Ahhhhhhh. So Daegal had been fighting off advances before Bors had joined him in the investigation. That made sense. He was petite and cute, which could prove a deadly combination in an atmosphere like this one.

Putting aside his own issues for right now, Bors nodded as he pushed up to his feet and pulled a surprised Daegal up to his. “Okay. Let’s go.”

Daegal looked up at him oddly before he smiled and nodded.

Wondering exactly what the halfling had gone through to look so pleased that he’d be getting a chaperone, Bors decided he might have to stick around Daegal even after the investigation was over, even if only to get him safely to the sanctuary islands.

* * *

 

“Is it bad that a part of me still resents Arthur?”

Cassius grumbled sleepily into Lancelot’s neck as he lay on top of his husband’s back, pinning him down onto their bed. “Depends on the reason, I suppose.”

“Would it hurt you to get jealous once in a while?” Lancelot mumbled, sounding surprisingly sulky all of a sudden.

Lips twitching, Cassius nibbled on his husband’s neck while giving a deep thrust from where he lay inside of him. “Hard to be jealous of someone else when I can feel the way you react to just having me inside of you.”

Lancelot whimpered and gripped at the sheets beneath them as Cassius started to move deeper. “I don’t think it’s fair…” He whined when Cassius started using his knowledge of the human body against him. “…that he might be able to give Merlin something I’ll never be able to give you.”

“Lucan is _our_ son,” Cassius whispered into his ear. “It doesn’t matter _how_ he came into our lives, just that _he did_.”

“It’s just that… you used to like women exclusively, and I—-.”

“Seduced me to the dark side, yes, I know, I _was there_.” Cassius pressed himself deep inside of his husband, causing him to whimper and sob. “If I had known that that role-play with Bors would make you insecure I wouldn’t have gone along with it.”

“It’s not that I’m insecure,” Lancelot denied with a grumble, sounding just as sulky as before. “I just—I love you so much, and when I think of the possibility of losing you because of something I cannot do _anything_ about it really—.”

“ _Stupid_ ,” Cassius whispered into his ear. “As _if_ I’d let anyone else think they could own this ass of yours…” He chuckled darkly. “Although you finally getting that naughty little fantasy of yours fulfilled was surprisingly pleasing _for me_. Remind me to thank Bors for making it a reality, since I doubt you ever would’ve acted on your attraction.”

“Cassssssssss.”

Chuckling, Cassius began to move a bit rougher. “I know we’re going to be monogamous, except, of course, the Dark Week… but maybe once in a while I’ll ask Bors to give you a little treat.” He purred darkly in his lover’s ear. “You looked so beautiful, Lance. You gripped around him tightly while he rutted into you, and you made the cutest little sounds that nearly drove me crazy. I could watch him rutting you for hours just so I could memorize each little sob and whimper you let out, so I can see your expression of bliss.”

“Gods below, Cassssss!” Lancelot sobbed. “I love you!”

“ _Love you more_ ,” Cassius promised before losing control and giving his husband what he knew he truly needed.

* * *

 

Arthur’s fist was pressed against his mouth as he lay on his side, his leg lopped backwards around Merlin while the cambion lay on his side behind him, teeth dug into his neck and hips thrusting his cock slowly into Arthur. Merlin’s hands were around Arthur, his fingers squeezing and stretching the blonde’s sore nipples in time to his slow thrusts.

Suddenly Merlin tensed and unclenched his teeth from Arthur’s neck. “What was that?”

“I didn’t hear anything.” Arthur rocked back into his now unmoving mate and angled his neck temptingly.

“I felt something.” Merlin let go of Arthur and shifted away, slipping out of him as he stumbled to his feet and looked around him, eyes narrowed. “It was almost like a strange yet violent surge of energy somewhere in the castle.”

 _Damnit, Bors!_ A moment’s panic raced through Arthur at the realization that if he didn’t do something fast, Merlin was going to go investigate for himself. _YOU AND DAEGAL NEED TO HANDLE THIS QUICKER_!

Stumbling to his knees, Arthur grabbed purchase on Merlin’s hips as he began to run his tongue teasingly over Merlin’s length. There was no way in hell that he was going to allow his mate to just up and abandon him right now! And, as always, he felt no shame in using Merlin’s weaknesses against him.

A shudder raced through the cambion’s body as he reached down to sink his fingers into Arthur’s hair and give a half-hearted attempt to push him away. “Arthur… Arthur this could be _ser_ —-.” He groaned as his cock twitched, slapping Arthur’s lips with the movement. “Arthur—Arthur I’m trying to—-.”

And then Arthur took that tip into his mouth as mouth as physically possible, and successfully distracted Merlin into forgetting about whatever he’d felt. It was as Arthur was congratulating himselfon a job well done, however, that Merlin suddenly disappeared, vanishing in the blinking of an eye, causing an unprepared Arthur to stumble before he looked all around him in utter confusion.

“Merlin? Where did you go? Merlin!” The blonde clenched his fists tightly at his sides in realization that the coward had blinked away. "You stupid, overprotective  _bastard_." Feeling the way his body started to torture him as it begged for its mate, Arthur snarled as he threw his head back and yelled: “Merlin! I’m going to _KILL_  you!”

* * *

 

“When did you become this cheeky?”

“I’ve always been this way.”

“Bullshit. You’ve been an unbearably adorable darling up until now,” Bors scoffed at that blatant lie as they made their way towards Daegal’s room. “It’s why Merlin and I never suspected you.”

“Of _course_ I going to be on my best behavior with my future king!” Daegal glared at him, blush returning full-force.

“I would have noticed if—-.”

Daegal scoffed in disgust.

“I would have!” Bors squeaked in insult.

“ _Please_ , when you were not busy with the swain or the King or the Queen, you were all over Cassius,” Daegal grumbled, clearly still annoyed with him. “I don’t understand how no one else has realized your feelings for him.”

“I don’t have _feelings_ —-,” Bors denied.

“It’s just so _obvious_ ,” Daegal continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “What I _didn’t_ realize was this _thing_ you have with Kay. _That_ you kept better hidden. I honestly thought you couldn’t care less about him. Obviously I was wrong. _Obviously_ I missed something.”

“I don’t have a _thing_ —!” Bors tried.

“You also completely ignored me all the time,” Daegal mumbled as he unsuccessfully tried to fix his clothes. “If something or someone doesn’t hold your interest they are completely invisible. It’s like they don’t even exist or something. I mean, I can’t count the amount of times I snuck into the Swain’s Residence to… to… and you had _no clue_!”

Bors opened his mouth to lie and deny that, but just as he did that energy spike returned, this time closer, this time stronger. He turned to Daegal, whose eyes were narrowed, and the both of them took off immediately down the hall, following the energy until they stumbled outside of the room where it was radiating out of.

“What is it doing in my room?” Daegal wanted to know in confusion as he reached for his doorknob.

Slapping Daegal’s hand away, Bors gathered moisture protectively against his own palm and the underside of his fingers, providing a protective barrier between his skin and the door as he reached out and turned the knob. He could feel it, the sting of the energy trying to burn through the liquid barrier he’d put up preventatively on his hand. This was a trap. And considering the last violent outburst had happened where Daegal had been left alone not that long ago… and its current location right now… it was clear that whatever this was… it was targeting Daegal specifically.

Wait. Had it not shown up last night because Bors had been around? Was it waiting for Daegal to be alone and vulnerable?

Turning the doorknob, Bors flung the door open and stormed into the room, the moisture in the air bending to his will and reflecting the energy that had tried to remain hidden. He didn’t know what that thing was, but it was bigger, stronger, than it had been before. It was also incredibly dark.

It charged at Bors and Daegal, but Bors turned and grabbed the smaller boy, wrapping his arms around him and protecting him with his own barrier second before the energy attacked them. Whatever it was, it might be stronger, but clearly it was weakening itself as it attacked, so Bors allowed the barrier to seem as if it was weakening so as to egg the energy on and allow it to continue assailing them until it was much weaker - weak enough that…

Pushing Daegal out of the way, Bors turned and forced the moisture in the air to form a barrier _around_ that energy, trapping it inside. He wouldn’t be able to hold this, not for long, but he could hold out until…

 _Dragon King_! He’d have to deal with Arthur’s unhappiness later. _Dragon King! I need you here! NOW! I can’t hold this much longer_!

In seconds Merlin was there, completely naked, reminding Bors once more that he and Daegal were the only ones clothed. His eyes narrowed, took in the situation, and in seconds he’d flung his arm out towards the barrier— only for the energy to break free seconds before he could contain it… and vanish.

Bors fell to his knees and shivered, his breaths erratic and heavy at the pain jolting through him. “ _It’s so dark_.” He hugged himself and whimpered. “I’m sorry, Merlin. I couldn’t hold it, I wasn’t expecting it to be so—-.”

“Were you hurt?” Daegal asked in horror as he collapsed on his knees next to Bors and looked him over rapidly.

“ _Were you_?” Merlin echoed the question and he bent to his knees next to Daegal and reached out to place his hand on Bors' shoulder. His face betrayed his worry, as well as his unhappiness. “Why did you not tell me sooner?” He then sighed and lowered his head. “You don’t need to answer that, I _know_ why you didn’t.” He then looked up at Bors and Daegal, clearly annoyed and yet not angry at them. “Don’t do anything unnecessary that will get you hurt, that goes to the both of you.”

“It’s grown incredibly strong - _much_  stronger from the last… I could take it… I just didn’t…” Bors licked his lips as his gaze shifted towards Daegal’s worried face before it returned to Merlin’s. “I think it was after Daegal. I think it wanted to hurt him. I think it set a trap for him."

“How long has this been happening? How long has it been growing in strength?” Merlin wanted to know after a second’s silence.

“I’m not too sure,” Bors admitted, and felt disgusted at himself for doing so. “I only truly noticed it during the second day of the Dark Week.”

“It’s been happening since the very first day,” Bors whispered as he clutched his hands together. “It was very weak, I don’t blame Bors for not noticing it, it was only on the third day that it got strong enough to really be noticeable by others.” He licked his lips. “The only reason _I_ noticed it from the first was because stuff kept happening around me.”

“See?” Bors pointed to Daegal. “Whatever it is, it’s targeting him.”

Merlin stared between the two boys and then nodded. “Okay, the two of you need to tell me _everything_ that has happened up until this point.”

Sharing a look between them, they did as told.


	6. Chapter 6

For once Merlin’s magic was not listening to Arthur’s demands, so no matter how many times he ordered it to, it did not blink him to wherever his idiot cambion had gone. That meant that Merlin’s magic agreed with its host that there might be danger in the castle, and (also like Merlin) it would not bring Arthur into a dangerous situation. While Arthur acknowledged that this was yet more proof of Merlin’s all-encompassing love for him, he _really_ didn’t appreciate being treated like ‘damsel fair’. Not only was he the queen of this kingdom, but he was a warrior in his own right, _and_ was the wielder of Excalibur. Surely Merlin _and_ his magic could see the benefit in having Arthur at his side in case there truly _was_ something to be worried about!

And yet Arthur doubted this overprotection would ever really change. Merlin had lost too many people in his life, and this was his own way of protecting Arthur, of trying to make sure that nothing ever happened to him - that Merlin didn’t lose him. It was somewhat selfish in some ways, but it was understandable because even though there was a kingdom full of people who basically worshipped him, Arthur knew that Merlin felt alone and isolated most of the time. It was probably terrifying for the cambion to even contemplate losing Arthur, as well as their connection, and it was that terrifying possibility which made him act like such an idiot all the time.

Still, while Arthur understood the cambion’s reasonings it didn’t mean he wouldn’t deck Merlin the second he found him. And that was _not_ the heat talking! That was a hundred per cent Arthur Pendragon-Dragonlord (he didn’t care if they weren’t _technically_ married yet, he was Merlin’s wife, damn it, he was a Dragonlord!).

Since Merlin’s magic would not listen to the blonde, and refused to blink him to wherever his idiot cambion was, that meant that Arthur would have to do this the old-fashioned way. It was why he’d had it take him to wherever their clothes were… and since that was no danger to him the magic did as asked, taking him to their ‘closet’. It was unlike anything he’d ever seen, containing glowing vines which held up his wardrobe. He really wondered what the the extent of Merlin’s magic’s abilities were, because apparently ‘clothes making’ formed a part of what it could do. He wasn’t complaining, he was merely curious, especially since it didn’t seem like there was anything Merlin _couldn’t_ do. The cambion kept going on and on, reminding Arthur worriedly that his powers weren’t ‘godlike’ like people ‘seemed to believe’ and that he had many ‘shortcomings’ and things he ‘could not possibly do, even with magic’, and yet that all seemed like bullshit to Arthur.

Merlin could feed off of lust thanks to his demon, and he could feed off of _everything else_ thanks to his dragon, and his sorcerer side could channel all of that energy and magic to do amazing, terrifying things which astounded Arthur the more he learnt. Why was his cambion unable to see just how awe-inspiring he was? Merlin could defeat anyone who came his way, his could create anything, could unite physically separated kingdoms in some sort of pocket, alternate dimension, could allow his male lover to potentially give him heirs, and could, quite apparently, also _make clothes without even trying_.

And wow. They were some clothes!

They were befitting a cambion’s queen, and they made Arthur flush as he peeked through them curiously. There were quite a number of intriguing choices, but he found himself going for something a bit more comfortable, something he was a bit more used to. It was a play on the slave skirt yet was more similar to the one he’d worn in Daobeth while also covering a bit more of himself, and being more richly decorated. The material was amazing against his skin, and while it was clearly a sex slave’s skirt, it allowed movement and protected him _down below_ so that he was comfortable and secure.

Now clothed, Arthur forced the magic to take him outside of the room, and it only took him to the door itself, refusing to actually take him outside. He huffed at its annoying overprotectiveness as he opened the door and stepped out, feeling a strange sensation filling him as he closed the door behind him and started to walk down the dimly lit hallway. Whatever the feeling was, it wasn’t exactly pleasant, but he hadn’t been feeling that well since Merlin had left so Arthur really didn’t think of it much as he continued to walk down the hallway and followed it until it opened up into a large corridor, which, unlike the hallway, was not abandoned.

Arthur’s first glimpse of the Dark Week caused his lips to part and his body to clench painfully in immediate desire and need. He bit down on his bottom lip and brought a hand to his stomach, begging his body to behave, even if for a moment. He wasn’t happy about Merlin’s disappearance either, and he begged his body to work _with_ him, not against him, while also promising it that that way they’d be able to find their mate quicker. It was weird to beg with one’s own self like that, but Arthur was desperate, and the more grunts and groans and sobs and whimpers he heard, the more kisses and thrusts and licks and bites and scratches he saw - it made that place between his thighs wetter and wetter.

He didn’t want to join in with the others in their revelry, and he didn’t want any of that attention directed onto himself. No, that wasn’t his problem, _that_ wasn’t the reason why his body was reacting so instinctively to the rutting happening all around. Arthur only wanted - desired - Merlin, and he wanted - _needed_ \- him _terribly_. The peaceful, relaxing sensation that had taken over him was gone, had left when Merlin had, and as Arthur surveyed his kingdom of sex, his body quickly grew inflamed and jealous. It wanted to be played with as well, wanted Merlin to do to it exactly what was happening to the men receiving pleasure and attention from their lovers - men Arthur’s body was quickly growing hateful and resentful towards. Why did _they_ get to have their lovers’ complete attention while he had to track down _his_?

The tantrum his body was beginning to throw made walking difficult as his legs wobbled slightly and his ass clenched tightly, repeatedly. He could feel the material cupping his ass quickly growing wetter as slick seeped out of him, and it was only a matter of time before it would soak through the material and start to slip down the insides of his thighs. Arthur _needed_ to have found Merlin by then or things could get very ugly very quickly.

It helped that even though many of the men noticed him, none of them tried to come at him. He’d prepared himself to have to kill the first couple of men to come after him in their lust-filled haze, sure their deaths would rein in the others, and yet he never had to summon Excalibur once. A couple of the men around him bowed their head in recognition when they saw him, some of them even stopped thrusting enough to greet him (‘Good day, My Queen’), but other than that he was not bothered. It was surprising given just how desperate the rutting going around him was, but it also made him smirk once he realized what their behavior towards him meant. No matter how strong the magic affecting everyone and making them tup like wild animals all around him was, there was something even stronger at work here, and it was Merlin’s claim on Arthur.

Everyone knew Arthur belonged to Merlin, and not even this uncontrollable magical urge to rut could supersede that in anyone’s mind.

Much less angry than he’d been seconds before, Arthur continued on his mission to find his mate. He kept himself aware, though, because clearly there’d been _something_ happening in the castle that had worried Bors, and which had finally caught Merlin’s attention despite Arthur’s best efforts. The blonde wasn’t an idiot, he _knew_ that if Merlin had left him the cambion had a good reason for it (especially given his magic’s behavior). Whatever that energy was, it worried Merlin, and if it worried him, then Arthur didn’t want him facing it alone. He’d find his mate, he’d help him get rid of this damned energy, and then he’d use the cambion until he passed out from overexertion. Even then, if his cock was still hard, Arthur would use him and make up for this separation.

Turning the corner, Arthur flinched at the fiery jolt that raced through him, and he nearly stumbled, only managing to catch himself on the wall quickly. He looked up with a frown, wondering just what the hell that had been, only to freeze when he suddenly found himself in the prison cells they’d created in secret underground section of the Mercian castle, which ed stayed in and prepared when they’d been planning on using Valiant’s coronation as bait to lure in all the changelings and discover their identities. Only a very rare few knew the entrance to this place, and no one else was here in the darkness except him, and that begged the question: how had he gotten here?

“I see that even though you are supposedly _‘queen’_ you’re still just a hole, and your wardrobe betrays that,” a dark, shockingly familiar voice declared from behind him. “Dress a whore in finery but he will still just be a whore."

Eyes wide in shock, Arthur turned around in time for someone he’d never expected to see emerge from the shadows. “ _Valiant_?”

The large ogre of a man sneered as he stepped more fully into view. His face was twisted in disgust as he looked Arthur up and down in clear hostility and disapproval. “Did you _really_ think I would _allow_ you to prance around and pretend to be the queen of this kingdom? That I would stand around and let a _whore_ sit upon the throne?”

“You died on the battlefield.” Arthur narrowed his eyes on the large man as he clenched his fists tightly. “So either you’re someone else pretending to be Valiant, or…” his eyes widened as he realized what the energy was. “ _You’re a ghost_.”

Great! So ghosts were real? Did that mean they had to worry about assholes like Tauren coming back too?

 _No._ He realized just as quickly. _Merlin consumed Tauren’s energy and magic, there is nothing to come back. Nimueh taught us that the soul and magic are closely tied together, so Merlin would’ve consumed any part of Tauren or Julius that might have been able to come back as a ghost._

While that was reassuring, Arthur stood face to face with his constant antagonist, with the source of his nightmares for so many years. It didn’t slip passed his notice that he was trapped, alone in a prison/dungeon, harkening back to the first time he’d ‘met’ Valiant. Bringing him here had not only been done to isolate him from the rest of the castle, but to also subconsciously remind him of that day, of his feelings of vulnerability, of being alone and terrified. This was mental warfare, and for a split second it worked, but only for that split second.

In many ways Valiant was Arthur’s Tauren, and just like Merlin had had to confront the monster from his past to be able to move on, Arthur would have to as well.

It was as he realized this that Arthur found himself calming completely with a deep breath.

From that first day in the dungeons Arthur had been unable to truly do anything against the asshole despite the way he continued to make Arthur’s life (and Arthur and Merlin’s relationship) as difficult and problematic as he could get away with.

Valiant had tried to gang rape Arthur, and had also beaten him to the point where Merlin had had to wrestle the boy away from Death itself.

Valiant had forced Merlin to allow himself to be taken in order to assure Arthur’s safety in the castle.

Valiant had immediately used his future kingship to try intimidate Merlin back into their previous, incredibly dubious sexual relationship, and when that did not work, had just as immediately changed tactics in a renewed effort to steal Merlin from Arthur by using Mercia and Camelot as his playing pieces.

Valiant had been Arthur’s personal nightmare for so long, and yet the blonde been unable to truly do anything because (a) he’d been a slave at the time in a foreign, hostile kingdom, (b) he’d been an emissary who was charged with keeping the peace between their kingdoms, (c) he’d been unable to figure a way of doing what he had to without some repercussion from Bayard, who had total control over Merlin, and (d) he’d been absolutely boggled down trying to figure out how to kill King Valiant without it being tied back to him and ruining his chance of saving Camelot.

“You know, dark magic has always played a very important role in my life,” Valiant declared with a sneer as he circled Arthur, clearly feeling secure and in charge of the situation and its obvious (to him at least) outcome. “I’m going to tell you something that no one else knows, Arthur. My grandfather wanted sons yet his wife died after having my mother. He didn’t want to risk more disappointment should he remarry in order to have a son, so instead, once she was old enough to bare children, he offered my mother to an ogre terrorizing the nearby village in exchange for any sons they might have. He understood the power that having darkness in ones’ veins could bring, and once I was brought to him by the ogre nearly a year later, he took me in and raised me as if I was his son.”

Arthur’s eyes widened in absolute shock. While he knew that there were many mean-spirited jokes aimed at Valiant regarding him having to have ogre and/or troll in his ancestry, the blonde had never actually believed those jokes to be true. And yet, well, it explained _a lot,_ not only about Valiant and his physical size, but about his character as well.

“My grandfather lived in an isolated part of Mercia so no one knew the truth of his trade with the ogre, or that my mother didn’t ‘disappear’ after my birth, she’d been living deep in the mountains for nearly a year by that time. I myself, never met her, and I don’t know whether she’s still alive or had any more children.” He tilted his head. “I _do_ know that she did not have anymore sons, though, as I was the only one brought to my grandfather.” He chuckled, clearly not worried and caring much about that at all. “Grandfather raised me knowing of the trade he made, as well as knowing who and what my father was. He raised me to be proud of the strength my heritage gave me, of the way the darkness inside of my body made me superior to all those around me, my age or otherwise.”

To be quite honest, the most surprising thing about this whole situation was the fact that Valiant was monologuing, was actually _telling_ him all of this of his own free will, and without even having been asked. Arthur had quite expected the vengeful spirit to try to kill him already, and the fact that he hadn’t made him both confused and wary. Valiant mightn’t seem smart and cunning, but he’d proven in the past to use his appearance to his advantage, and so if Valiant had separated and isolated them, but hadn’t done anything yet, was instead _talking_ , it had to be for a reason. Arthur just needed to figure out what it was and _why_ before Valiant finally got to what was obviously the main event.

“Being bigger and stronger in so many ways was always a good thing,” Valiant informed him with a superior chuckle before raising an eyebrow. “Of course, as I grew older and continued to grow I realized there were _some_ inconveniences… such as the fact that those smaller and weaker than I could easily find lovers while _I_ … I tended to _break_ anyone I played with, and all without even being able to fully penetrate them.” He shook his head in disgust. “You have no idea how frustrating it is growing up in a place like Mercia and not being able to properly fuck anyone. Imagine not being able to get even a half of you into most people, and those you _can_ get some of you into just bitch and scream and cry. For the longest time I couldn’t concentrate enough to cum… until I learnt to _enjoy_ the struggles and the cries and the blood.” He chuckled darkly, cruelly. “It was _much_ easier afterwards. I just needed to find trash that no one would care about being utterly shattered… or not reappearing _at all_.” He sneered at Arthur. “It’s why I went after you, I’d had years of learning how to pick up worthless garbage from a crowd.”

A muscle jumped in his cheek, but Arthur didn’t rise to the provocation. No. He wouldn’t be the one to attack first, to fight his aggressor blindly, in anger and rage. That would make him vulnerable. No matter what Valiant said or did, Arthur had to make sure _Valiant_ was the one who attacked first.

“But I’m getting a little ahead of himself.” Sighing with a shrug, Valiant cracked his neck while continuing to circle Arthur leisurely. “When I was old enough to go to Mercia my grandfather sent me to Bayard because Bayard was weak. I’d grown up being taught how Bayard and his lineage were all feeble, all died early, and because of this our line, although very far removed in comparison, was truly the strong one, truly the bloodline that should sit upon the throne. Bayard would die, just like his family before him, and I would have had enough time to make myself known to those in Court and prove to all that I was the true heir. I was sent to Mercia with a singular purpose, one I planned on making my sole goal in life…” he sighed and surprised Arthur by abandoning circling to instead lean back against one of the cells, folding his arms over his chest. “Considering that, I was very much unprepared to arrive in Mercia and meet, upon my very first day, someone unlike anyone else I’d ever met up until that point: someone inhuman,someone effortlessly superior to all those around him, someone exuding exquisite darkness, someone _like me_.”

“Merlin is _nothing_ like you.” Arthur couldn’t stop himself. He wasn’t supposed to be rising to Valiant’s bait and yet the idea of this monster thinking Merlin was _anything_ like him was disgusting and infuriating.

“I was dumbstruck when I first saw him, when I sensed him, sensed what was pulsating out from his pores.” Valiant was apparently too lost in his memories to acknowledge Arthur’s words. “I knew immediately that he would be the one - the _only_ one - and when I finally was able to sink into his body all those years later… when I felt myself enveloped completely, naturally, by another’s wet heat… I knew I’d been right all along. He was mine. He was born to be mine. His body was born for mine.”

“You forced him to be with you, you _forced_ him to sleep with you,” Arthur hissed, still as disgusted and furious as he’d been the first time he’d found this out. Hell, he was even _more_ disgusted and furious, especially when it was completely obvious that Valiant not only didn’t feel an ounce of guilt for the mental torture he’d put Merlin through during that time, but that not even a tiny part of him acknowledged the fact that what he’d done had been _wrong,_ had been _horrible_.

It sickened Arthur to the core that Valiant thought he and Merlin were the same, especially when Arthur knew that Merlin had tortured himself with the same fear for so long thanks to how his and Arthur’s relationship had started out. But right in front of Arthur was yet another reminder of how different those two were.

Valiant was a sadistic monster who got off on the pain and fear he inflicted on others.

Merlin was… Merlin was different. Merlin had saved Arthur, had put himself in danger for Arthur by bringing him back from the brink of death and giving him most of his own life-force and energy… all without even having met Arthur. Merlin had accepted Arthur as a sex slave to keep him out of the dungeons, had put up with Arthur’s deliberate mental abuse and the countless attacks on his life, all not only without complaint, but worrying _about Arthur_ and putting _him first_ the whole time. Merlin had only taken Arthur when continuing to not do so put Arthur in danger, and, well, everything Merlin had done had been to make Arthur safe, to try and give him some control despite the situation he was in, and to take care of him.

Merlin wasn’t like Valiant, he was _nothing_ like Valiant. Valiant liked to hurt others, whereas Merlin kept hurting himself in order to protect others. Despite both being Mercian men born of darkness, they were the antithesis of each other.

“Merlin didn’t have someone like my grandfather to show him the truth about himself and to train him correctly, instead he had _Bayard_ , who was not only disgustingly weak, but who actively encouraged the wrong traits in Merlin while discouraging, and hindering, his true nature. He wanted to make Merlin a human while also having access to infernal powers, but that is not possible. Either Merlin continued to deny the truth to what he was and was forever shackled down and hindered by his growing self-hatred - as well as the infuriating self-doubt that came with it - or he could embrace the fact that he was of darkness and become what he was always meant to be. Those were the only two options ever truly afforded to him, and if Bayard had had his way, he would have forced Merlin to cling to his humanity, to the weak part of him, and it would have made Merlin miserable.”

In many way Valiant was right, and that infuriated Arthur because clearly everyone had underestimated Valiant as an opponent, seeing him merely as a physical threat, never realizing that Valiant was far more observant, cunning, and smart, than he had ever let on.

“I know I am not Merlin’s first choice, I am not an idiot, it was more than obvious even before you crawled out of the sewers that he had put up a wall between us.” Valiant raised an eyebrow with an unhappy chuckle. “Bayard saw me as a threat, it was obvious, and he clearly whispered in Merlin’s ear and turned him against me from the start. Bayard had a hold on Merlin’s humanity and was using it as a collar which was slowly suffocating him, so I in turn appealed to the darkness in him. Maybe I came on a little _strong_ , but don’t be fooled, no matter how much his humanity might have disapproved of me… his darkness _liked_ me. Had you never shown your face in Mercia he would have ended up in my bed, one way or the other.”

Just how deluded _was_ this asshole? Arthur was connected to all sides of Merlin, and he knew for a _fact_ that _every_ side of Merlin had merely tolerated Valiant.

“You seem to think I raped Merlin, but I did _not_.” There was a sharp twist to those lips as his eyes bore into Arthur’s in dark glee. “ _He_ came to me. _He_ touched me first. _He_ offered himself to me. _He_ told me, over and over again, how _his_ body was the only one that could give me true pleasure, and we _both_ knew it was true.” Valiant chuckled roughly. “I used your safety to keep him in line, yes, but I also used you to give him an excuse to do what he’d never allow himself to otherwise. He climaxed _so_ many times while riding me or being ridden, his eyes so defiant yet filled with pleasure. It was… so delicious… watching him slowly coming undone by my cock even though part of him was desperately fighting that release with everything it had.” Valiant licked his lips and fell into silence for a second as he arranged himself in his pants. “No matter how many times I took Daegal that little traitor _never_ felt right. _His_ body wasn’t made for me. _His_ body might be able to take mine, but it wasn’t the one mine wanted, craved.”

Arthur tightened his clenched fists so tightly they shook.

“Every time I’d be forced to watch Merlin dirtying himself with you, especially during the meetings, I’d have to take my frustration out on Daegal to keep myself from throwing myself over the table at you.” Valiant made up his face in disgust. “And yet not even while fucking that druid while watching Merlin’s face was I able to truly find release, find pleasure. Why could you not have _died_ that day in the dungeons? I should have killed you immediately. Should have slammed your pretty little face repeatedly into the ground until every bone was broken, and by the time Merlin saw you there was nothing about you to tempt him.”

“Jealousy is an ugly look on you, and you were ugly to start with.” Damn it. Arthur wasn’t supposed to be provoking the asshole!

“ _Jealousy_?” Valiant’s voice was low, hissed, dangerous, sounding more like something a snake might actually force out instead of a human. “No. I am not _jealous_ of you. For the longest time I hated you, I resented you. I dreamed of going back in time and killing you viciously the second you were in Mercian captivity. Too many times have you come back to mess everything up. Every time I think we might be rid of your stench you return like a sore, like gout. You infect Merlin with your filth like a disease, and every time I think you are gone, that he can be healed, you reoccur.”

“How is this not jealousy?” Arthur wasn’t even trying anymore as he sneered at the older man. “You’re bitching and whining because Merlin doesn’t pay attention to you, and because he prefers me, he always has, always will.” He forced his fists open and anchored his hands on his hips, which jutted out as he smirked. “You’re _dead_ , Valiant. What exactly do you think is going to happen here? You’re merely energy, you don’t think you’ll be getting any action with Merlin _now_ , do you?”

Instead of snapping, as expected, Valiant merely sneered. “As I was saying, dark magic has always played a very important role in my life. First there were the circumstances of my birth, and then, once I went to Mercia, I continued to be increasingly exposed to it and infused by it thanks to the many dark and arcane rituals that Merlin continued to perfect all the way up until that very last one. You are just a mere filter so you did not get to experience the true force of that ritual, and you truly lost out, little whore.” He tilted his head with a chuckle. “Dark magic gave me life, dark magic coursed through me when I died, and dark magic - coupled with my strength of will - kept me on this plain of existence.” He raised his hands around him. “And it is the dark magic of the Dark Moon which has fed me and has allowed me to be strong enough to manifest, to interact, to _interfere…_ to finally understand what had been eluding me for far too long. I couldn’t understand _why_ I couldn’t get rid of you no matter what I tried, and then I realized… it’s because I was never supposed to.”

Not sure whether he was more worried by the fact that Valiant was apparently using the energy of the Dark Week to do what he was doing - or at those confusing words - Arthur tensed as he narrowed his eyes on Valiant, feeling threat finally starting to truly seep out of the phantom. “I doubt you are going to concede that Merlin was never yours and never will be yours, so what exactly are you saying?”

There was silence for a moment before Valiant snickered and pushed away from the cell. “You know what caught me unprepared? What blindsided me completely?” He licked his lips. “Merlin’s body is so perfect for me, it naturally shifts to take me completely, perfectly, inside of him and give me earth-shattering pleasure.” He tilted his head with a low, gravelly chuckle. “I wasn’t surprised at _that_ , of course, from the first time I saw him, I sensed him, I knew it would be that way. What I _wasn’t_ expecting, what truly shocked me, was the overwhelming pleasure I felt when _he_ filled _me_.”

Sickness and nausea curled in Arthur’s stomach yet he refused to look away from that taunting gaze.

“Women are only useful to bare sons so that our lineage, our strengths, continue on,” Valiant informed him with utter conviction. “A submissive, on the other hand, is meant to take a true man’s desire, darkness, and seed into him and use itto give his frailer body strength. These are two truths I have been raised to know, and I have always known that as the strongest, as superior, I would tolerate a woman until she gave me a son, but that I would find true pleasure with a submissive.” He shook his head. “I never would have imagined that _I_ would be playing the submissive role… or how much I would _like_ it.”

Arthur’s breathing accelerated as he started to see red.

“He forced it on me, at first with Daegal’s feedings, and then during our bespelled time as spouses, and then afterwards when I threatened you… and I should have _hated_ it… but from that first time with Daegal I realized more and more as I watched your face twist in pleasure as he plundered your body that I might not just want to be the one tupping him… but I might also want _him_ to tup _me_. THAT is how perfect he is for me.”

“I don’t want to hear any more of your delusions,” Arthur snarled, not sure why this pissed him off even more than Valiant wanting to tup Merlin. Maybe it was because, if Valiant was saying he was more than happy to put away the role of the ‘true man’ and instead play submissive to Merlin despite what that must do to his pride - it meant that Valiant was truly obsessed with Merlin. It meant that Valiant might be a phantom, but he could not leave this meeting ‘alive’, or whatever state of undead or other-living he might currently be.

“But even _I_ had to admit that my body was not one that a man would want to take, to plunder,” Valiant continued on as if he hadn’t spoken. “Yours on the other hand?” No matter what he might say, there was clear jealousy and resentment displayed on Valiant’s face as he glared at Arthur. “Just look at you. A beautiful face, silky golden hair, nicely muscled body yet not bulky, cocksucker lips… you looked as if you were _born_ to take cock. I may be the superior man, but all of my strength and might is _nothing_ compared to a flutter of your golden eyelashes.” He smiled a nasty smile. “It made me want to destroy your disgustingly beautiful face even more than I already wanted to.”

“Then come at me and stop with all your talking,” Arthur snarled, more than willing and eager to fight. “I am not afraid of you anymore, Valiant. I haven’t been for a very long time. So try and kill me, I welcome it! Someone else might’ve killed you, but I will send you to a dark, terrifying place.”

Chuckling, Valiant shook his head. “You don’t understand, little whore. I have no intention of killing you. Hell, I don’t even plan on messing up your pretty little face or body anymore. On the contrary, I want you as perfect as always.”

Confusion made Arthur’s heckles rise as his already alert body grew tenser. “What the hell do you _want_ , Valiant?”

“ _You_.”

Freezing in utter confusion, Arthur’s stomach twisted. “ _What_?”

“We’ve been connected this whole time, do you not see?” Valiant asked, sounding genuine as he said that. “From the very beginning I was drawn to you, picked you, for a reason, and it was not - as I suspected at the time - because of the hints of darkness I smelt on you - the same darkness that attracted Merlin to you in the first place, even if only subconsciously.” He raised his chin angrily, defiantly. “ _This_ is the reason why everything happened between us the way that it did. It was all so that we could be right here, right now, together, you and me, in this underground passage.”

Anyone else would think Valiant was confessing his love - or as close to love as someone as twisted as Valiant could feel - but Arthur wasn’t just anyone else, and he knew better than to make that mistake.

Smiling, Valiant took a step towards him. “You see, dark magic gave me life, dark magic kept me from truly dying, and now, dark magic will give me the means to have what I have wanted - and have been denied - for far too long… and it will all be thanks to _you_.” He grinned. “I’m going to take what has always been _mine_ , and the best part about it is that you and I are going to be the only ones who ever know.”

What the hell was he saying? What was he planning? It was more than clear that Arthur was in danger, but from _what_ exactly?

“I had to make sure Merlin was busy, but not just him, the she-boy as well,” Valiant informed Arthur in an amused tone. “Unlike everyone else in the castle, in the kingdom, they are the only ones who have true darkness in them like I do. You do not count. The she-boy might have pretended to have been a part of our castle for years, but I knew that I had never sensed that darkness before, and that meant the she-boy has some sort of power over the mind, and if that was the case I needed to make sure I was always on guard. I doubt the she-boy knew about me, ogres are one of the few creatures who can sense/smell darkness, but I still could not be careless around that one. Clearly you have the she-boy’s loyalty, which means that he is my enemy as well, and that makes him a threat to me and my plans.”

Wait, _this_ was why Valiant had always acted so oddly around Sophia and Bors? Because he’d known they were half _something_ _dark_ as well, like Merlin? Had Valiant truly seen Sophia and Bors as the only true threat in the castle?

“Also, I couldn’t get to your room, it seems to have not only changed location, but there’s some _powerful_ magic protecting not only it, but the path leading towards it.” Valiant raised an eyebrow. “So, once I was strong enough to control this form, to do what I realized I had to do, I targeted little Daegal.” He chuckled. “Not only did that throw the she-boy off, but it finally drew Merlin out of your bedchambers, and if what I have been hearing was true - if you are _truly_ in heat - then surely you would soon follow after.” His smile was sharp like a dagger. “All I had to do was set the trap and wait for you to walk out of the protection of the bedchambers so I could bring you here without Merlin or the she-boy even realizing it considering I didn’t purposely expose my presence with a blast of energy like I have these last couple of days in an effort to draw Merlin out.”

Cold began to crawl its way up Arthur’s spine. Valiant had planned this perfectly and they’d all fallen into his trap. “Enough dragging this out! You didn’t bring me here, didn’t plan all of this, just to monologue! So if you supposedly don’t want to hurt me what the hell do you think you’ll get out of—?” And then Arthur froze and his eyes widened as a dark suspicion dug its claws into his chest.

Throwing his head back, Valiant laughed. “I see you’ve finally figured it out! But it’s too late, not even with his ability to teleport will Merlin be able to save you.” He ran his beefy fingers through his hair. “In fact, he’ll never know that anything ever happened to you.” His gaze was soulless, a predatory twist to his features. “He’ll never have any idea that I was ever here, or that I never left. He’ll never know that the body he’ll ravage might be yours, but that _I_ will be the one staring back at him.”

Valiant was going to try and _possess_ him.

The realization chilled Arthur to the core while also filling him with boiling rage. “Of _course_ he will know. Even if you managed to possess me you might look like me, but you _are not_ me.” That darkness that had grown inside of him since he’d thought he’d gotten Merlin killed bubbled like tar. “Merlin is physically attracted to me, I won’t even pretend that that isn’t the case, but he loves me for more than just my looks. You would not be the first to try and separate us, to get in between us, and you would not be the last to taste defeat. I am not just Merlin’s lover. I am his consort. I am his queen. I am his mate. I am his master. I am his _home._ I am everything to Merlin, and he _will know_. You can _never_ be _me_.”

Snarling, Valiant flung himself at Arthur at lightning speed.

Even Arthur was a little surprised at how quickly the shield shot out of him like it had when he’d been attracted by Tauren. Like always, Merlin was protecting him, even when he was not physically there and didn’t even know Arthur was in danger. The blonde smiled and pressed his hand to the runes that connected him to his mate, rubbing the twisting design softly, before his smile turned to a sneer as he met Valiant’s gaze on the other side of the shield. “Did you honestly believe you’d be allowed to possess me?” He chuckled and tilted his head like his kidnapper had previously in a clearly mocking way. “Don’t be an idiot, Valiant. Merlin’s the _only_ one allowed inside of me.”

Valiant attacked the shield viciously from every angle, and yet not only did the shield protect Arthur from each and every blow, but Arthur somehow _knew_ that the shield was stealing energy from Valiant with each contact, making the phantom progressively weaker. He had to provoke the asshole into a rage so as to keep him from realizing this and stopping.

“Don’t you feel pathetic? Aren’t you ashamed of how low you’ve been brought down? Of how low you keep dropping?” Arthur snickered as he folded his arms over his chest to prove just how unafraid he was of the other man. “You’re a ghost, an ethereal being, and yet not only will you _never_ have a chance at being with Merlin, you can’t even _touch_ me.”

“Don’t have a chance?” Valiant snarled as he threw himself harder and harder against the shield. “If that’s so, then why is there an alternate reality in which he’s _with me_?”

Arthur faltered for a moment before shaking his head. “That lie is so obvious it actually makes me feel sorry for you.”

“Oh yeah? Ask your she-boy friend if you are so sure, see if he tells you something different than he told Merlin,” Valiant dared viciously. “Hell, when you’re trapped inside of your own body I’ll ask the she-boy _myself_ so you can hear his answer!”

Arthur froze, eyes wide. Was that true? Had Merlin asked Bors something like this and been told that in some other ‘reality’ he was with Valiant? No. That couldn’t be true. Arthur did not know anything about ‘alternate realities’ and how they differed from ‘other realms’, but if they did exist there was no way that Merlin could be with Valiant - be with anyone but Arthur - in them. No. _No_. He refused to believe it, to accept it. There was no way that another version of himself would allow something like that! This was a lie. It was a filthy lie!

And yet despite that, panic and anger surged inside of him, mixing together and feeding each other. What if it was real? What if other ‘realities’ existed… and Merlin belonged to other people in them? What if there was a Valiant somewhere who Merlin was with _willingly_? What if there was a reality where Arthur was unable to do anything but watch Merlin and Valiant be together because Merlin _wanted_ to be with _Valiant_ and _not_ with Arthur?

In seconds the shield shattered.

Valiant roared victoriously, his eyes flashing triumphantly as he charged Arthur… only to stop suddenly and gasp, eyes wide and body flickering violently.

Arthur stared into Valiant’s shocked, confused eyes, and tightened his grip around Excalibur, which had appeared in his hand the second he’d made the shield drop. The blade was now piercing through the phantom’s body like it would that of a mortal man, the magic of the blade Arthur had rammed viciously into Valiant within seconds of the shield coming down glowing as it consumed the living energy trapped around it.

“Wha—- _how_ —-?” Valiant was flickering violently, his voice pained, agonized, confused.

“Your ogre father would be very disappointed in you, Valiant,” Arthur told him in a flat, emotionless voice as he stared unfeelingly at the larger male. “I’m not ‘barely touched by darkness’, or however you put it during your overly-long monologue, I’m the darkest individual you’ve ever met.” He shifted his wrist and twisted the blade inside of the phantom, who let out an agonized sound as his body flickered even more violently. “Let me say this one more time so that when you finally disappear into nothingness you will do so with absolute certainty of this very important fact: Merlin is _mine_. He’s _mine_.” The boy reached out and surprised them both by curling his fingers around Valiant’s throat like he would had he been living, had he been a physical being. “Anyone else who doesn’t understand this, who tries to challenge my place in Merlin’s life, who attempts to _alter_ or _supplant_ our relationship… they are going to end up exactly like you are right now.” He could feel the pleasure thrumming though Excalibur, and it made him grin. “Cali knows the damage someone out of line like you can cause, and she and I are of the same mind in this regard. Merlin is _mine_. _I_ will give birth to his children. _Anyone_ who threatens our family, our relationship, will be dealt with by _Cali_ and _I_.” He smiled. “Merlin’s never even going to know you were here, Valiant.”

There was raw confusion and growing fear in Valiant’s eyes as he tried to grip Excalibur’s blade and shove himself off of it, but the touch made him howl in agony as his hands fused to the magical steel.

“I’m not done.” Arthur’s voice was low and sounded deadly even to himself as his grip tightened on Valiant’s neck, forcing the agonized phantom to look at him. “If what you said is the truth, if there’s an alternate reality in which Merlin is with you and not me…” His fingertips dug into Valiant’s neck deeper, causing the phantom to gasp and struggle as his physical form began to emit steam. “…then all that means is that I haven’t killed you in that reality yet.” He smiled sweetly at Valiant, very much at ease as this realization calmed him down from the panic and anger that had tormented him moments ago. “Don’t worry, though, _I will_ kill you, that version of me is probably just biding his time. And just like in our situation right now… Merlin never has to know.”

Valiant’s eyes widened and his mouth opened.

He never got the chance to say whatever he would’ve.

Digging in his fingers viciously, Arthur yanked his hand back, and all that Valiant let out was an agonized scream as the phantom exploded, his energy destroyed and consumed by Excalibur, never more to return.

Arthur looked down at his arm, at the glowing runes all the way down to the glowing sword, and he smiled as he felt its pleasure and relief. “Don’t worry, Cali,” he found himself saying to the sword, in awe at how different their relationship was now to how it had begun. “I’m not about to let anything, much less _anyone_ , threaten what we have.”

Excalibur thrummed visibly with pleasure, clearly returning the sentiment, sword and wielder bonding over a shared will.

Taking in a deep breath, Arthur rubbed his glowing runes, and even before he could order Merlin’s magic to take him to his mate, it did just that.

* * *

 

There was definitely more to what happened than they knew about, and Bors had a feeling Arthur was at the epicenter of it all. The queen had been far too sure that there was no danger in the castle and that whatever had happened - had attacked Daegal - was gone. There was also the fact that Bors had felt Excalibur doing _something_ right before Arthur had blinked over to where they were going over their game plan, _and_ the fact that that energy was gone. Completely gone. As in all trace had vanished, even the energy trails that had been left behind previously which Bors had been following the last couple of days. There was nothing left of that energy, it was almost as if it had been consumed… and there was the slight glow on the runes that connected Arthur to Merlin and Excalibur to go by as well.

The most obvious clue to Arthur having done away with whatever the threat had been, however, was Merlin. While the cambion clearly didn’t know more than Bors, a part of him _did_ know (ie his magic), because instead of pushing for Arthur to behave and stop distracting him, to allow him to hunt down whatever the energy had been, Merlin was very obviously allowing himself to fall prey to Arthur’s predation.

Daegal, who definitely couldn’t see or understand the things Bors did, looked confused yet was too smart to interrupt the king and queen in order to remind them of the supposed danger at hand. It was a good thing too, because Arthur would have most definitely killed Daegal had he foolishly tried to interrupt them right now.

The blonde had Merlin pressed up against the open doorframe, kissing the taller man deeply while rubbing his clothed hard-on against Merlin’s very naked, very engorged cock. Arthur’s fingertips dug into Merlin’s shoulders and he shifted to part his thighs further, sobbing into Merlin’s mouth when the king gripped his asscheeks roughly and started massaging them through the material of his skirt.

Men who had been lost to their own pleasure all over the hallway looked up at that cry and watched feverishly as their king worked his middle finger around the material of the skirt and slipped it into their queen, who mewled into his mouth and arched his hips backwards. Every growled hissed that poured Merlin’s lips as he eased more and more fingers inside of a body made pliant from days of nonstop loving, and every encouraging whimper that escaped Arthur as he gloried in his mate’s attention, made the men around them sob and tremble and fuck harder - or beg to be fucked harder. It was as if their king and queen’s pleasure magnified their own, as well as intensified their need.

It was also a relief to see that while Arthur was still in heat, it didn’t seem to have any affect on anyone other than Merlin. Bors had been a little terrified when Arthur had left the safety of the royal bedchambers and appeared at their side, but seeing the reaction of the men around them calmed him down. The redhead wasn’t going to have to kill fools for being drawn in by Arthur’s heat and trying to force themselves on him. That was good and made him more than a little relieved since it meant that they wouldn’t have to be worrying in the future about Arthur going into heat unexpectedly and getting attacked by gangs of citizens.

**_Is it true that there is an alternate reality in which Merlin is with Valiant of his own free will?_ **

Bors flinched in surprise, looking towards Arthur, who was clinging onto Merlin while thrusting back into those fingers. This was a very dangerous question, one he wasn’t sure he should answer, and yet just like when Merlin had asked him certain questions earlier, Bors found himself answering truthfully.

_Yes._

Arthur’s fingertips dug viciously deep into Merlin’s skin. **_Is that the only reality in which he and I are not together?_**

How had Arthur found out that alternate realities exited - much less that Merlin was with Valiant in one of them? Bors knew for a fact that Merlin would’ve never told Arthur about that, and Arthur hadn’t been around to eavesdrop on their conversation, so how the hell did the queen know about this?

_No. There are many realities in which you are not together. Not romantically at least. You are two sides of the same coin so you will always be drawn to each other, will always become incredibly important to each other, but there are realities in which that doesn’t become what it should be - or it stops being what it should be._

Letting go of his clawed grip on Merlin’s shoulders, Arthur dropped to his knees and began to lick and kiss Merlin’s cock, sucking its tip - causing Merlin to sob and throw his head back hard against the doorframe. **_Elaborate._**

He really didn’t want to, but Bors knew better than to leave things at that, especially when Arthur sounded so deadly.

_Well, there are some realities which are very similar to ours with only a few small changes - such as Myrddin never having been killed - and then there are some extremely different, taking place in different time periods. Arthur, you are with Merlin romantically in many of them, most of them in fact, and you are connected to Merlin in almost all of them with only a tiny percentage of exceptions._

**_Who else?_ **

Arthur did not need to elaborate for Bors to understand the dangerous question, and he sighed heavily while running his fingers through his red hair.

 _I cannot name them all, but some that you would know personally in this reality would be Valiant - as you already somehow knew - and in one reality Bayard_ ** _did_** _make Merlin his lover after he became his ward. Morgana surfaces in a couple of them… but not as much as Mordred does. Mordred is probably the one who is with him the most if he is not with you._ He knew Arthur wouldn’t like hearing that, but he couldn’t stop himself. _Lancelot, Gwaine, Percival and even Uther have had one or two realities, but they are rare exceptions. In some of them_ ** _you_** _are the one with someone else - mostly Guinevere - and it never ends well. Sometimes it’s bad for both you_ ** _and_** _her, but it is_ ** _always_** _bad for_ ** _you_** _. You die before your time in all of the realities in which you are with Guinevere. The only exception is the one reality where you really wish you_ ** _were_** _dead because you’re forced to watch Merlin and Mordred have children and be happy together, but you live to be an old age, because Merlin is - as always - protecting you._

Merlin’s cock started to tremble, to shift, under Arthur’s aggressive ministrations, turning less human by the second, which only seemed to egg Arthur on harder. The men in the hallway watched in shocked awe, not only seeming to realize that this transformation wasn’t surprising or scaring Arthur in the least bit, but that he was clearly provoking it on purpose.

**_Why did you not tell me?_ **

Bors sighed and ran his hand down his face. _How is this conversation beneficial? All that matters is that in_ ** _this_** _reality you and Merlin_ ** _are_** _together, and will continue to_ ** _be_** _together. In this reality you became - and will stay - as you should. That’s what is important,_ ** _not_** _any other reality._

**_How do you know all of this?_ **

Apparently Arthur was not going to listen to him, was not going to let this be.

_I’m connected to Excalibur. You do not understand the incredible, awe-inspiring power you wield, Arthur. Excalibur has power hereto unknown and untapped, it has no limitations… and a version of it exists in every reality… and thanks to my connection to_ **_this_ ** _Excalibur I am somewhat connected to_ **_every_ ** _Excalibur… which is how I know things. Even in realities where your stories are thought of as mere myth and twisted to better suit that reality’s religious dictates, Excalibur exists… so I know… well, it doesn’t matter what I know. Like I said before, all that matters - that should matter - is_ **_this_ ** _reality. And in_ **_this_ ** _reality you’ve got Merlin quite literally in the palm of your hand._

**_You and I will talk about this later at length_ ,** Arthur threatened as he slipped free from his mate to turn around and press himself against the opposite side of the doorframe. He reached behind him, pulling the material apart and presenting himself needily to his mate for the whole castle to see.

Merlin’s eyes went demonic black. He surged forwards, trapping Arthur against the doorframe as he bit down on the mark he’d given him in Daobeth which seemed to remain on the blonde’s neck. The cambion’s cock, still shifting into a terrifyingly large and inhuman shape, pressed up against Arthur’s entrance seconds before Merlin thrusted aggressively, driving the growing length into Arthur, who sobbed in audible delight as he dug his nails into the doorframe and visibly pressed back with his hips in a desperate attempt to speed his own forceful penetration.

The men in the castle seemed to be experiencing some odd, mind-numbing fit as they writhed and gripped at each other.

Daegal suddenly leaned hard into Bors’ arm, drawing the redhead’s attention away from the other men and onto him to find the halfling red-faced and heavy-breathed.

“What’s wrong?”

“You don’t… _feel_ … that?” Daegal leaned heavier against Bors, his voice breathy and his pupils wide in disorientation. “I can’t… I need…” Almost as if something had snapped in him, the halfling flung Bors around to face him and started to fight frantically with the redhead’s trousers, getting them quickly half undone.

“Hey!” Bors grabbed Daegal’s hands to stop him from completing his task. “What the hell are you—?”

“ _Please_.” Daegal took advantage of Bors holding his hands to lean in with his body and rub against Bors, letting the taller boy feel his throbbing need. “P-please, Bors, _help me_.”

Gulping loudly, Bors cleared his throat and looked away. “O-of course. I’ll get you to the sanctuary islands so that—-.”

Daegal tore his hands free from Bors and used that second’s shock to yank Bors’ trousers down to his knees, following the material down as he emulated Arthur’s earlier actions by taking Bors into his mouth.

The redhead groaned and raised his hands at hip-height, not sure whether he wanted to push Daegal away or grip his hair tightly and hold him in place so Bors could thrust himself in deeper.

It wasn’t until much later, when he came back to himself long enough to realize that he was pinning the boy face-down on the floor with his own body weight, arms hooked around Daegal’s chest to keep him in place as he rammed himself deep inside of him, that he’d obviously gone with the latter option. It terrified him that this was the second time that he’d apparently reacted so instinctively when it came to the other boy, and yet Bors couldn’t stop himself even if he’d wanted to.

Not with the way Daegal was groaning so incredibly wantonly underneath him.

Fingertips digging into the stone floor of his own bedroom, Daegal pushed back to meet each of Bors’ thrusts, and every time the redhead reached the deepest parts of him, the halfling let out a whimpered, glorious sound that made Bors tremble.

A quick glance towards the doorframe proved Arthur and Merlin were gone, but when Daegal started chanting his name desperately, clearly on the edge of climax, Bors lost himself once more and didn’t re-emerge until he found that he was Sophia.

They’d apparently made it to the bed and were currently seated there with Daegal’s face buried in Sophia’s chest, the halfling kissing and suckling while ramming himself up into her. Sophia didn’t quite remember shifting into this form, or locking the bedroom door for that matter, but she threw her head back and sobbed breathy encouragements as Daegal drove himself ever harder and quicker into her.

And then Bors found himself back, and this time Daegal was the one seated on _his_ lap, his arms around Bors’ neck, his mouth busy sucking marks all over Bors’ neck and chest as the older boy thrusted mercilessly into him.

It was only after the Dark Week and Arthur’s heat were over that Bors and Sophia realized they’d spent that entire time locked in Daegal’s room.

* * *

 

Arthur’s fingertips dug into Merlin’s shoulders as the grip on his hips raised and lowered him onto his mate’s cock. Merlin’s pleasure was obvious from the rumble that escaped his lips and vibrated into Arthur’s mouth, and it made him tremble in response. All around them the Court seemed just as in heat as Arthur was, rutting wildly, somehow seeming even more uncontrolled than before. Arthur didn’t care though, all that mattered was that he was with his mate, and Merlin was marking his claim on Arthur even stronger and more obviously than it’d already been.

And just like Merlin was marking his claim on Arthur, Arthur was doing the same with him. Each dig of his fingertips, each groan, each thrust of his lips, it was all aimed with the express purpose of not only giving them both pleasure, but showing everyone in the castle that Merlin’s cock was _his_ , and that the cambion would not (and could not) be stolen away. It was more than obvious how desperate Merlin was as he rutted into Arthur, how he was lost to the pleasure. The king was making all sorts of deliciously desperate sounds as he loved up into his queen while seated on the throne.

A choked sound escaping his lips, Merlin leaned forwards and captured one of Arthur’s sore nipples, suckling on the blonde as jolt of intense pleasure pierced Arthur from not only his chest, but from the place within him filled by his mate. He let go of his husband’s shoulders to instead slip his fingers into those dark locks, fingertips massaging Merlin’s scalp as he arched his back and offered himself up more to those lips. Arthur rearranged his knees on the sides of Merlin’s body and began to rock his hips backwards and forwards, causing the bulge inside of him to torture him with its tiered ridges and surprisingly blunt spikes which did not dig in or scrape, but tickled him oddly within, much like that spiraled tip did.

Merlin stopped suckling long enough to groan into Arthur’s skin. “You smell _so good_ , wife. You smell intoxicating. So sweet. Like honey.” He ran the flat of his tongue against Arthur’s sore, swollen nipple. “It makes me want to be gentle with you.”

“You’re tickling me deep inside,” Arthur whispered breathily into Merlin’s ear as he continued to rock himself on top of his mate. “Something feels different, Merlin.” He was making little whined, high-pitched sounds he’d forever deny, but even in that moment Arthur could tell he sounded like a bitch being blissfully bred by his alpha. “Something feels—-!” He threw his head back and groaned as his body clenched instinctively around the cock bulging out against his stomach when Merlin returned to suckling him. “Merlin!”

Suddenly Merlin yanked himself away so quickly his lips made a popping sound as they slipped free.

A sobbed complaint worked its way up Arthur’s throat as he turned his gaze downwards, and yet his order to continue caught in his mouth when he saw the white dripping down the sides of Merlin’s lips. Arthur’s eyes widened in shock as he froze and merely stared down at Merlin, unable to fully understand what he was seeing, until finally the wet sensation on his own chest caused him to look down at himself and see the trails of white seeping down from his swollen, sore nipples. From both of them.

“ _Arthur_.” There was something strange in Merlin’s rumbled tone as his gaze visibly darkened. “I know why your scent is different.” His tongue reached out to lap at the trails of white that made their way down Arthur’s golden chest, the action causing tremors of desire and pleasure to shake Arthur’s body. “I know why I feel the need to be gentle with you.”

Hope surged inside of him but Arthur remained silent, his fingertips caressing Merlin’s scalp as his lover licked him clean of the white, sticky trails.

“Arthur…” Merlin groaned against his heartbeat before slowly easing himself up deeper into the boy. “You’re pregnant… or whatever the equivalent for us is.” He wrapped his arms around Arthur tightly and rested his cheek against Arthur’s rapidly beating heart. “ _My child’s growing inside of you_.”

The happiness, the awe, the possessiveness in that tone made Arthur shiver as he pressed rapid kisses to the crown of Merlin’s hair. “Are you sure?” He could hear the fearful hope in his own tone. “Are you _sure_ , Merlin?”

“I’m sure. I do not know how I know with such certainty, but I just _know_ ,” Merlin whispered hoarsely with audible emotion as he pressed his forehead against Arthur’s rapidly beating heart. “You told me once that when I was able to suckle milk from you that it meant you would be giving me a child, and somehow I _know_ that it is the truth.” He pressed a reverent kiss to Arthur’s heart. “My child is alive and well inside of my wife, my mate, my consort, my love.”

“Our baby?” Arthur whispered just as hoarsely.

“Ours,” Merlin whimpered as his teeth scraped softly against that golden skin, and his cock twitched so strongly inside of Arthur that it moved his hips. “ _Ours_.”

Pleasure mixed with overwhelming emotion as Arthur stopped moving and cupped Merlin’s face, lifting it to see the love, hope, and fearful disbelief there. Merlin’s adoration was clear in those eyes as they stared back at Arthur, and it made the blonde smile tenderly, finally truly releasing every bit of tension he’d had upon learning about alternate realities and such. Bors was right. This was the only reality that mattered.

In this reality Arthur had his husband, his king, and he’d not only _never_ let Merlin go, but he’d give him children, a family, and a home.

That was all that mattered.

 _They_ were all that mattered.

“ _I love you so much, Arthur_ ,” Merlin whispered even hoarser than before.

Smiling, Arthur pressed his forehead against Merlin’s and took in a deep, happy breath. “ _I love you too_.”

Wishing all the Arthurs of these alternate universes good luck - especially those who had yet to achieve the happiness of being with their own Merlin - Arthur washed his hands of them and instead embraced his mate tightly, welcoming Merlin’s kiss when the cambion lifted his face to capture his lips.

Merlin groaned into Arthur’s mouth as he started to love up slowly, tenderly, into his body, his mind chanting words of devotion and veneration into Arthur’s.

Trembling at the ferocity of his mate’s love, Arthur clung on tightly as his mind returned those words, those promises, with infernal ferocity.

In that moment, mind and body being loved so tenderly, Arthur didn’t need Bors’ apparent all-seeing knowledge to know that his future was going to be an overwhelmingly blissful one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OoO Only one more segment left in this series!! OoO


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